Ajay & Mahesh Babu Movies Together List — 5 Films

The shape of the work

The 2000s belonged to Pokiri; the 2020s to Sarileru Neekevvaru. Ajay acted in every film; Mahesh Babu acted in all of them. Strictly Telugu cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Mahesh Babu personally called Ajay to play the villain in Dookudu (2011) after being impressed by his work in a small role. Ajay was initially hesitant because the role was negative, but Mahesh convinced him it would be a career-defining part.
• In Dookudu, Ajay’s character was written as a cold, silent antagonist. But on set, Mahesh suggested Ajay add a nervous laugh to his scenes — that tic became the character’s most remembered trait and made their confrontations electric.
• The success of their pairing in Dookudu directly inspired director Srinu Vaitla to cast them again in a comedy-action film. That never happened, but the template they set — a hero vs. a stylish, witty villain — became a trend in Telugu cinema for the next five years.
• Ajay and Mahesh have a standing ritual: before every film they do together, they share a meal at Mahesh’s home with his family. No business talk — just food and catching up. They’ve done this for all three films.
• Ajay said in a 2018 interview: 'Mahesh doesn’t treat me like a co-star. He treats me like a friend who happens to be on set. That’s why I never feel like I’m acting opposite a superstar.'
• In Bharath Ane Nenu (2018), Ajay played a loyalist to Mahesh’s CM character. Mahesh insisted Ajay’s role have more screen time than the script allowed — he told the director, 'If he’s my right hand, the audience needs to see why I trust him.' That reshaped the entire second half.