Mainstream film acclaim and success (2004–2010)[edit]

Manjula produced his next film, Naani, directed by S. J. Surya co-starring Amisha Patel. While its
simultaneously shot Tamil version New featuring a different cast was commercially
successful, Naani flopped at the box office.[29] He received the Nandi Special Jury Award for his
performance in his next film, Arjun, directed by Gunasekhar and produced by Ramesh. [37] The
failure of Naani depressed both Babu and Manjula, who took a small break in Goa before
resuming their other commitments.[38] He chose to act in Trivikram Srinivas's Athadu, co-
starring Trisha Krishnan, whose script had been approved back in 2002 before the production
of Naani and Arjun had begun.[39] Athadu became one of the highest-grossing films of the year.
[40]
 The film was a commercially profitable venture for the producers and distributors. [41] The film
benefited Babu's career as he won the Nandi Best Actor Award for his performance in the role of
a hired assassin.[42] Athadu collected a share of ₹22 crores at the box office.[43] Idlebrain gave it a
rating of 3.25/5 and mentioned Mahesh Babu is stylish and brilliant as professional killer. [44]
Babu collaborated with Puri Jagannadh in 2006 for the film Pokiri, which was jointly produced by
Jagannadh and Manjula.[45] Made on a budget of ₹100 million and shot within six months,
[46]
 Pokiri became the highest grossing Telugu film of all time by the end of its run, and was
screened at the 7th IIFA Awards held in Dubai.[47] Babu received praise for his performance, with
Y. Sunita Chowdary of The Hindu opining that "Mahesh's understated performance
in Pokiri allows him effortlessly to reclaim the title of a star, overshadowing more questionable
recent career choices".[45] He won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu for the second time.
[48]
 Pokiri grossed ₹67 crores at the box office.[49] That same year, his next film, Sainikudu, co-
starring Trisha, was released amid huge expectations but flopped at the box office. [50]
The following year saw Babu acting in the film Athidhi, co-starring Amrita Rao marking her
Telugu debut. The film was produced by Mahesh Babu's's brother Ramesh. [51] UTV Motion
Pictures acquired the film's distribution rights for ₹185 million, which became its first Telugu film
venture.[52] In 2008, Babu provided voice-over for the film Jalsa directed by Trivikram Srinivas.[53]
After Athidhi's release, Babu took a break from films for seven months; two months later, he
signed Khaleja, but the break was unintentionally extended for two years due to several delays.
During this time, Babu's grandmother and his wife Namrata's parents died. Krishna was worried
about Babu's career as the film's shoot was delayed for so long. [54] Upon
release, Khaleja received mixed reviews from critics and was a commercial failure in India.
[55]
 However, it managed to perform well at the overseas box office. [56]Rediff gave a 3 out of 5
rating and noted "The duo of Mahesh-Trivikram delivers a product that is watchable, entertaining
with good humour, couple of well-orchestrated action sequences and songs and with a bit to take
home as well. It's Mahesh's show all the way, much to the delight of his fans. Mahesh is the soul
of the movie, be it his dialogue delivery, his action, his dances or emotions, he is effortless. [57] The
film is considered one of the "25 Greatest Telugu Films Of The Decade" by Film Companion.[58]