R Madhavan to walk the Cannes red carpet with Nambi Narayanan

R Madhavan , who plays Indian Space Research Organisation scientist Nambi Narayanan in the biopic Rocketry The Nambi Effect , will be walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on 17 May. Accompanying him would be the man of the moment Nambi Narayanan himself.

In the midst of a dozen urgent activities, Madhavan takes time off to talk about the approaching event.

“It is only proper and the correct thing to do, isn’t it? That I walk the Red Carpet at Cannes with Nambi Sir. The film I have made on his life took me four years to research and direct. That evening on the Red Carpet in Cannes would be the culmination of my four-year penance. Believe me, during these last four years I have had no family life. My son Vedant has been winning glory for his swimming all over the world . I’ve barely had time to enjoy my son’s success. It’s been Rocketry all the way,” says Madhavan.

In fact, Madhavan’s wife Sarita won’t be able to accompany him to Cannes. “Sarita will be accompanying my son to another swimming championship while I am at Cannes. I would love to have her with me. But her priority is Vedant. Thank God she is there to look out for our son.”

The proud father can’t stop swooning over his son’s success. “Nowadays when people come to congratulate me, I am like, ‘Yeah, man, thanks. I’ve worked my butt off on Rocketry. I have virtually been living breathing sleeping and eating with the project. So thanks.’ And then they are like, ‘No no. We’re congratulating you for your son’s success’. Now, that’s the one occasion when I don’t mind the competition.”

About Rocketry, Madhavan says all the attention should go to Nambi Nambiar. “He has gone through so much. Can we even begin to imagine what it is like to have your freedom, dignity and renown being snatched away from you for no fault of yours? Nambi Sir was wrongly accused of espionage. It is time for the nation to apologize to him.”

So what’s Madhavan wearing on the red carpet? “Haha, my wife Sarita is working on that. I have never bothered with clothes. But I am told sartorial grace is highly valued on the Red Carpet at Cannes. So both Nambi Sir and I need to get dressed up.”

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.

​Read all the  Latest News **,**  Trending News **,**  Cricket News **,**  Bollywood News **,**  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook **,**  Twitter  and  Instagram **.**​