Mahesh Babu is almost like a superhero on screen, who, with his larger-than-life characters, catchy one-liners, gravity-defying stunts and smooth dance moves has established himself as one of Telugu film industry’s box-office giants. On his 47th birthday, here’s a list of five Mahesh Babu films to stream.

Businessman (2012)

After the enormous success of Dookudu, Mahesh Babu collaborated with director Puri Jagannadh again for the action entertainer Businessman. Mahesh Babu plays a Robin Hood-ish character named Vijay Surya. A gangster with a moral code, Surya comes to Mumbai to become the underworld kingpin but also feels for the underprivileged residents of Dharavi. He has a deep-rooted grudge against the corrupt legal system, which failed to deliver justice to his family. Surya fights for justice on his own and saves his love interest (Kajal Agarwal) from his arch-enemy (Prakash Raj).

Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video

Aagadu (2014)

Aagadu is one of his few films on the list that failed to set the cash registers ringing at the box office during its theatrical run, but has since become a favourite on television and OTT. Mahesh Babu plays an honest police officer, better known as ‘Encounter’ Shankar, in this 2014 action comedy directed by Srinu Vaitla. Pitted against the cunning crime lord of Bukkapatnam village, Damodar (Sonu Sood), Shankar plots an elaborate plan to stop the construction of Damodar’s illegal power plant. Rajendra Prasad, Ashish Vidyarthi, Nassar and Brahmanandam have supporting roles, while Tamannaah Bhatia plays his love interest.

Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video

Spyder (2017)

In 2017, Mahesh Babu starred in director A.R. Murugadoss’ multilingual (Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam) action-thriller Spyder as an Intelligence Bureau officer, Shiva, who is good with technology and gadgets. Shiva is on the trail of a serial killer, following the victims’ digital footprints. In a cat-and-mouse chase that then begins, Shiva’s family becomes the target and he must stop the killer before he makes his next move, which is to destroy an entire hospital like Joker did in The Dark Knight Rises. The edge-of-the-seat thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat predominantly because of Mahesh Babu and S.J. Surya as the antagonist.

Watch it on: Netflix

Maharshi (2019)

With echoes of Shah Rukh Khan’s Swades, this action drama stars Mahesh Babu as an NRI businessman who returns to India to help his close friend in his fight against the plight of downtrodden farmers. Maharshi focuses on the issue of farmer suicides in India and the lack of opportunities in agriculture. This is a film that’s away from Mahesh Babu’s comfort zone of all-out action, which ended up grossing about Rs 145–200 crore worldwide, becoming the third highest grossing Telugu film of the year. Maharshi also has Pooja Hegde and Allari Naresh in pivotal roles.

Watch it on: Disney+ Hotstar

Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020)

In Anil Ravipudi’s 2020 action comedy Sarileru Neekevvaru, Mahesh Babu plays an army officer named Ajay Krishna. The plot revolves around Ajay’s journey to Kurnool on a simple mission but his stay in the town becomes complicated after he’s forced to protect the family of his comrade from a greedy businessman. Ajay also falls in love with a local girl, Samskruthi, played by Rashmika Mandanna. The film also stars Vijayashanti, Prakash Raj and Rajendra Prasad. Mahesh Babu’s blend of heroism and comedy was lapped up by fans and critics.

Watch it on: Disney+ Hotstar