South Indian star R Madhavan has set up a home in Dubai as his son trains to compete in the Olympics.
The ‘Maara’ actor confirmed the news with entertainment portal Bollywood Hungama that his family has now set up a base in the emirate to accommodate a lifelong dream of his son Vedaant who is a national swimming champion in India. Joining the duo in Dubai is Madhavan’s wife Sarita as well.
“The larger swimming pools in Mumbai are either closed because of COVID-19 or out of bounds. We are here with Vedaant in Dubai where he has access to large pools. He’s working towards the Olympics, and Sarita and I are right by his side,” the actor told the portal.
Madhavan also rubbished claims that he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and pursue an acting career. “My wife Sarita and I went along with whatever our son wanted to do in his life. He’s been winning swimming championships all across the world and making us very proud,” Madhavan said.
The actor also imparted advice to parents in the film industry. “Let your child fly freely. Don’t stop him or her from pursuing any career. I’ve no regrets about Vedaant choosing not to be an actor. His chosen vocation is far more important to me than my own career. I’ll do what it takes to take him where he wants to go in life.”
Madhavan’s latest is a new series on Netflix titled ‘Decoupled’, which dropped Friday. Starring alongside Surveen Chawla, the duo play a couple who are heading towards a divorce but still have a lot of links that tie them together. While the show has opened to mixed reviews, Madhavan himself said he was skeptical to take on the show because it is shot in English.
“I had some people asking why are you not catering to the Hindi, Tamil or other Indian languages. However, the show is about a pulp fiction writer, who thinks and speaks in English. It would have been unfair to land these jokes in any other language. But once the trailer dropped, much to my amazement, the media and public have reacted to it with great relatability. And that really makes encouraged me,” Madhavan said in a chat with Indian Express.
Married for 22 years himself, Madhavan imparted some sage advice to couples to survive the long haul. “I think people are quitting so easily. Priority ki vaat lag gaya hai (nobody cares about priorities). Also, there are so many distractions and pressures, especially put by the corporates and trends. That makes you feel inadequate. It’s undue pressure. I think it’s important to recognise what is important. In the end, it all cuts down to a simple life, with a companion. I think if we look at the relationship shared by most of our parents, we will know it’s not so complicated,” he said.
