Baahubali success crucial for Telugu Film industry: Mahesh Babu

Hyderabad: Superstar Mahesh Babu on Thursday said every film lover should be proud of S.S. Rajamouli's epic war drama "Baahubali", adding that its success is crucial for Telugu filmdom.

"All of us should be proud of 'Baahubali'. We should pray that the film turns out to be a blockbuster as its success is very important for our industry," Mahesh told reporters here.

He was speaking after being named the goodwill ambassador of Rainbow Children Hospital.

Mahesh's "Srimanthudu", which was earlier set to release on July 17, exactly a week after 'Baahubali' hits the screen, has now been pushed to August 7.

"We didn't postpone our film because we were scared to compete with 'Baahubali'. I think it deserves to a solo release and we should respect it. It's healthy to have two or three weeks' gap between big releases," he said.

Talking about his association with the hospital, he said he was happy to be part of any initiative for children.

"They have set benchmarks in childcare and are well known for their efforts to provide high standards of health care for children. I would like to commend their commitment in providing world-class medical services," Mahesh said.

Asked if Mahesh would collaborate with his son to endorse the facility, he said: "Why not? It's a children's hospital and if we get an opportunity to endorse together, I really don't mind."

Rainbow Groups is spread across Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Bangalore with bed strength of 700 beds. It has ongoing projects in Visakhapatnam, Chennai and Jaipur.