He later played the role of a mafia kingpin with a hidden personal agenda in the film '' Businessman '' , co-starring Kajal Aggarwal and directed by Puri Jagannadh . Upon the film 's release , Mahesh received praise from the critics for his performance in the film , with Y. Sunita Chowdary of '' The Hindu '' writing , " The film has no frills , no vulgar wastage and the hero is practically in every frame ; you hear only his voice , he looks good , sounds good , he also steals the comedian 's job . Mahesh plays it straight . " . It grossed approximately 187.35 million and collected a share of 137.8 million at the global box office on its first day creating an all-time record in terms of opening day collections . '' Businessman '' became one of the highest grossing Telugu films of the year . '' Businessman '' collected a share of 41 crores at the boxoffice . He received a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu at both the 60th Filmfare Awards South and the 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards ceremonies . By then , Mahesh was reported to be the second highest-paid actor in South India after Rajinikanth
60th Filmfare Awards South
60th Filmfare Awards South
Mahesh Babu