They call him Maddy. Some in the film world may think that actor R. madhavan is mad not to step into the realm of a hero. I do not. By no means. He is an actor, wants to be an actor, not a star. Over the years, madhavan, who was honoured with the Reel Icon Award at News18 Showsha Reel Awards recently, has masked himself with myriad faces, looks and mannerisms. The true hallmark of a performer – in the league of greats like Naseeruddin Shah, om puri and to an extent vikram Massey, who was fantastic in 12th Fail.
Much like his film career, Maddy dabbled in so many things before facing the camera. He grew up in Jamshedpur, graduated with a B.Sc degree and went on to join the National Cadet Co that fetched him a longish trip to England, where he trained in the british Army, Royal Navy and the Royal air Force. He did think of joining one of these but missed the cut-off age by six months. Their loss was India’s gain. After a stint in public speaking, lecture tours and modelling, madhavan, who grew up in a tamil Brahmin household, decided to step into the world of make-believe.
The first years were tough: small television roles, before Mani Ratnam’s Alaipayuthey in 2000 catapulted him to the big league. He became the newest romantic hero, maybe like tamil cinema’s Kathal Mannan (Kathal Mannan), gemini Ganesh. Mani’s work remains one of my favourites. Co-starring with Shalini, madhavan played the part of poignant pauses.
Set against the backdrop of Chennai’s suburban trains and decrepit stations, love blossoms between karthik (Madhavan) and shakti (Shalini). Their families are against the union, and the couple elope. The sudden death of Shakti’s father creates a rift between the husband and wife. madhavan brought out the emotions of affection and anger in a splendid way, and Alaipayuthey is one of indian cinema’s greats. It was later made in hindi with a different set of actors, really no match for Ratnam’s work and Madhavan’s acting calibre.
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