Mahesh Babu Gallery

Actor Harish Uthaman, who plays the baddie in upcoming Telugu family drama Srimanthudu, says he was totally taken aback when he heard superstar Mahesh Babu speak fluent Tamil on the sets.

"It was my first day on the set. We were going to shoot an action sequence. I met Mahesh and we exchanged pleasantries. After the shot, Mahesh sat near the monitor and I joined him. Suddenly he started talking in Tamil, and I was totally awestruck," Harish told.

"When I asked him how he knew Tamil, he said he did his college in Chennai. And that it was only after he started acting that he moved base to Hyderabad," he said.

Harish says Mahesh is a very "friendly" co-star with no airs. "He`s very helpful. Since I had a language barrier, there were a few shots that required multiple takes. He asked me not to worry and said that he`s even willing to give 50 takes, if required. He`s very considerate," he said.

Directed by Koratala Siva, Srimanthudu features Shruti Haasan in the lead.