Mahesh Matta

 Mahesh Matta, born on August 11 1972, is an Indian versatile actor and film producer. He has appearedin more than 30 Hindi films, and earned several awards, including 7 FilmFare Awards. The Government of India has awarded him the Padma Shri, the most honorable award in India. In terms of achievements, income, and fan following, Mahesh Matta is described as one of the most successful film stars in the world.

Mahesh began his career by acting in several Indian television series, and made his Bollywood debut in 1995 with Deewana. After the success of his first film, Mahesh started getting more offers for movies produced by most famous producers and directors of Bollywood. Earlier, Mahesh Matta was very famous for his villainous roles in movies. As he began to settle in the industry, he started doing various other roles, he was very good at performing romantic roles, and after taking up such roles in his upcoming movies, that's how India got it's Romance King of Bollywood- The Mahesh Matta. 

Early Life and Background:

Mahesh Matta is the only son of the famous bollywood couple Rajesh Matta and Meena Matta. He was educated at the Bombay Scottish School, Mahim. As a student, Mahesh found no interest in academics and would always rank low among his peers. However, he started performing good in sports and theatre. He even won many awards in school for acting. After completing his 10th standard examinations, he worked as an assistant director to his father. Later on, Matta moved to New York to learn film-making at the School of Visual Arts, and  pursued method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. In film school, Mahesh Matta directed and starred in two short films, entitled Passion and Black.

Career:

After completing his education abroad. Mahesh moved back to India to make a career in Bollywood. Upon returning to Mumbai, Mahesh was hired as an assistant director to the famous Bollywood producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali. After his first film as an assistant director was successful, he got an offer of acting in the producer's next film. However, his first film as the lead actor was not so successful as expected. Mahesh worked hard day and night, and after a few unsuccessful roles, Mahesh performed the lead role in three films and made one special appearance in 1998. In his first release of the year, he played a double role opposite Juhi Chawla and Sonali Bendre in Mahesh Bhatt's action comedy Duplicate, the first of his many collaborations with Yashi Johar's production company Dharma Productions. He got the lead role in "Prem" and in no time, he was talk of the town and he then became "The Mahesh Matta". The offers for lead roles in films and several television advertisements started to rain upon Mahesh Matta and he is now considered as one of the most successful actors in Bollywood. 

Mahesh also started his own production house name "Mahesh Matta Films", which has produced over 15 Bollywood films, 10 short films, and about 35 Television ads. Mahesh turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up "Mahesh Matta Films" 1996. MMF's strategy was to introduce products and services covering an entire cross-section of India's entertainment industry. MMF's operations were mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, and celebrity and event management. Soon after the company was launched in 1996, the first film it produced was 'Teri Meri Kahaani' which was a moderate success and launched the careers of actors like Arshad Warsi and southern film star Simran.

Mahesh Matta also hosts an Indian reality show named Bigg Boss. He is also seen hosting Grand Award functions Internationally too. Mahesh has set a benchmark in the Bollywood industry and he has proved that hardwork pays off.

Owner of IPL team:

In 2008, Mahesh Matta, acquired ownership rights for the franchise representing Kolkata in the Twenty20 cricket tournament Indian Premiere League (IPL) for US$75.09 million, and named the team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) As of 2009, KKR was one of the richest teams in the IPL, with a brand value of US$42.1 million. The team performed poorly for 2 years, later on, their performance improved with time.

Mahesh performed alongside Sunidhi Chauhan at the opening ceremony of the IPL 2011 season. He appeared again in 2013 alongside Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone. In May 2012, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) banned him from the Wankhede Stadium for five years for getting into an argument with the security staff after a match between KKR and the Mumbai Indian. MCA revoked the ban in 2015 and in 2016, Mumbai Police informed that no 'cognisable offence' was made out against Mahesh and they had come to the conclusion that Mahesh Matta was not drunk and did not use abusive language before minors at the Wankhede Stadium in 2012.

Humanitarian causes:

Mahesh Matta has been involved with many social causes. For example, he donated ₹1.1 million to clear the debts of nearly 40 beleaguered farmers in Andhra Pradesh. He is a philanthropist and has established his own brand in 2015 named "MM" which is a clothing brand and has a variety of products for Men and Women. The profits from the brand is used for charity. Mahesh was made a UNICEF goodwill ambassador for the polio Eradication Campaign in India in 2002. In 2013, he and his family donated ₹2.5 million to a charitable trust, Plan India, that works for the betterment of young girls in India. He also donated ₹1.1 million to the Maharashtra Police Welfare Fund in 2013.

Mahesh Matta was also the face of the 'Save Our Tigers' campaign that promoted the importance of tiger conservation in India. He supported the campaign by PETA in India to free Sunder, a 14-year-old elephant who was chained and tortured in a temple in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.

 

Present Life:

At present, Mahesh Matta is in New York living his Dream Life.