R Madhavan has He carved out a unique space for himselfnot just within a single film industry, but across state borders and language barriers. Be it Tamil cinema or the Bombay film industry, collaborating with stars like Mani Ratnam or Rajkumar Hirani, he has seen it all and done it all. However, the actor, who will complete 30 years in the film industry next year, admits to a very strange fear when starting a new project, one that, he says, gets stronger with each film. In a candid conversation with Mirchi Plus, he spoke candidly about this concern:
“Nowadays, whenever I go to the set, I feel more afraid than before. On the first day when I go to the set, I see everyone saying: “Hojaya, Madi Khatam”, “Oh, he didn’t know how to act.” It gets worse as the movie goes on, I feel like my assistants are watching, and they’re like ‘time to join someone else, that’s not helping’. My fear is not reflected in every movie.
(These days, whenever I go on set, I’m so scared beforehand. On the first day, I feel like everyone’s looking at me and thinking, “It’s over, Maddie’s done,” or “He can’t act anymore.” With every movie, it gets worse. I feel like my assistants are watching and saying, “It’s time to bring in someone else, he doesn’t know anything.” And that fear of me grows with every movie.)
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In the same conversation, while Madhavan spoke candidly about this fear, he also shared the joy of working alongside a star like Ajay Devgn, with whom he first collaborated in the hugely successful Shaitaan, and now De De De Pyaar De 2. He said, “When I did Shaitan with him, on the first day I thought, ‘Leave him alone, because he probably doesn’t like being talked to and everything. But once he feels comfortable, it’s quite amazing to see all the things he has.'” To share that innocence he has maintained, which takes some time, he said. To understand it, I guess, but the innocence that he has, and the curiosity that I have, are both things that we have retained that I am very proud of.”
Madhavan had earlier spoken about taking a break from films for two-three years as he was disillusioned with the kind of work he was doing and could not connect with it. He also spoke about the mitigating incident that made him make the decision. “I had to take a break because I felt very disillusioned with the kind of work I was doing. I was shooting for a Tamil song in Switzerland, wearing orange pants and a green shirt. I was dancing to the music. I was halfway through, and I saw this Swiss farmer looking at us with complete disdain and shaking his head. I looked at him and said, ‘Come to Chennai, I’ll show you who I am.’ I was really offended, but it suddenly hit me that I was literally dancing to other people’s tunes.”
Whatever Madhavan may feel about being afraid of people thinking his time is up, this year alone is evidence of his rising stature. He was recently seen in Kesari Chapter 2 and Aap Jaisa Koi. He is now gearing up for two major releases: De De Pyaar De 2, which hits theaters today, and Dhurandhar, which is scheduled to release next month.
(Tags for translation) R Madhavan
