SV Krishna Reddy-directed 'Yamaleela', the fantasy comedy, was one of the biggest hits in Indian cinema when it was released in 1994. In 2014, comedian Ali revealed that the story was written and narrated to Superstar Krishna with the intention of casting Mahesh Babu as the lead man. 

In the initial stage, 'Yamaspeedu' was the working title of the movie. Krishna, who was listening to scripts for his son's debut, endorsed the story immediately. 

However, since Mahesh was yet to complete his studies at that time, he requested SV Krishna Reddy to wait for at least three years. "But the director was too excited to hold back. So, he cast me instead by paying a hefty advance," Ali said in his most recent interview. 

Had Mahesh debuted with a fantasy comedy instead of a rom-com and family entertainer, he would have been deemed an experimental star. His later-day experiments like 'Nani', 'Nijam' flopped at the box office very badly.