When South Indian actor R Madhavan posted a shirtless selfie online, he wasn’t expecting the internet to go into meltdown mode. The Instagram picture, in which he looks much leaner than usual and sports a salt and pepper stubble, has garnered more than 150,000 likes.
The selfie that has garnered Madhavan lots of praise. |
“Now I‘m a little embarrassed and under pressure, because I don’t look like that all the time and I am trying to see if I can be accepted again as a normal-looking guy. That was an unprecedented amount of attention from the world. I am embarrassed and thankful at the same time,” Madhavan says.
The actor is no stranger to attention. He became a heartthrob after starring in the romance Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein in 2001.
Madhavan is currently gearing up for the release of his action film Vikram Vedha, directed by Pushkar and Gayathri, which was postponed in the UAE following the strike in Tamil Nadu over a recently introduced entertainment tax; the issue has now been resolved and it releases in India on July 21.
“When it comes to filmmaking, we have to deal with ego, anger, and a lot more; barring all these, how the team works towards the outcome matters. Vikram Vedha ticked all the boxes as a project,” he says.
The actor, who plays a police officer, says the climax of Vikram Vedha will be first of its kind in the Tamil film industry. Madhavan will be seen locking horns with Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi, who plays a gangster.
In ‘Vikram Vedha’. |
“The plot is akin to Vikramadityan and Vedhalam’s story. Vikram is an honest cop, but he has his flaws, Vedha is a gangster but has a good side too. What happens when Vikram encounters Vedha, how Vedha escapes with his stories, what correlation the stories have with Vikram’s life is what the film is about,” he says.
Madhavan has finished working on a web series for Amazon Prime Video, which will also be dubbed in Tamil.
The actor says many questioned his decision to do a web series but he is glad he agreed to do it.
“The quality, story, and narration are extraordinary. We should understand that the content has become globalised. Web series is the next big thing,” he says.
“All great scripts need not reach the silver screen, and every good story can’t be narrated in a two-hour film. Kevin Spacey stands an example for that. He did House of Cards and made more than what he made with his films. That’s the power of the internet,” Madhavan added.
Madhavan in ‘Irudhi Suttru’. |
The actor had earlier taken a four-year break before producing a successful comeback with Irudhi Suttru. He says his 3 Idiots co-star Aamir Khan inspired him to make the decision to go on hiatus.
“I obviously was a little anxious about the break. But there is no point in being a part of the film industry if I was not doing some good movies. I learned this from Aamir Khan; he took a four-year break during Lagaan. And, public memory is short when something is of less significance,” Madhavan says.
Madhavan says he makes sure he maintains cordial relationships with his co-stars.
“When I’m involved in a project for six months, I don’t want to create or grow anger or hatred. Everyone has some eccentricity, some flaws. When we balance and orient ourselves, it becomes a pleasant situation and then it turns into a mutual respect and then eventually it turns to a great amount of love,” he said.
