Mahesh Babu clarifies 'Bollywood can't afford me' comment

Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu courted controversy earlier this week when he was asked about his plans to make his foray into Bollywood. He rejected that idea without any hesitation by stating, "Bollywood can't afford me." And he was well aware that he was making this statement at the risk of sounding "arrogant."

Amid the ongoing controversy over his remarks, Mahesh on Tuesday further explained his stance while interacting with the Telugu media during the promotions of his upcoming film Sarkaru Vaari Paata.

"I have always wanted to do Telugu films. And I have always wished for Telugu movies to do well across the country. I strongly feel, why should we go to another industry by leaving ours behind? I am very happy that our films are reaching there (in North India). Our movies are doing well at the pan-India level and my dream is coming true," Mahesh said.

This was not the first time Mahesh was asked the question about his possible Bollywood debut. However, when he was asked the same question earlier, his response was more mellow. "I don't need to do Hindi films. I can just do a Telugu film and it'll get seen all over the world – that's what's happening right now. You'd want to be in a position to do (only) a Telugu film," he had said then.

Mahesh is now busy promoting Sarkaru Vaari Paata, which is due in cinemas on May 12. Written and directed by Parasuram, the film also stars Keerthy Suresh, Samuthirakani, Vennela Kishore, and Subbaraju among others.