R Madhavan turns 52

Actor R Madhavan is the only one in the film industry whom I call by his nickname, Maddy. Somehow, Maddy brings out the informal side in me. We are family friends in the true sense of the word. I’ve been to his house in both Chennai and Mumbai, met his wife Sarita and son Vedaant when he was a toddler, and look at him today. But that’s another story. Madhavan/Maddy has come home been our house guest in Patna. We all crammed into our Sumo van and headed for gol gappas in the centre of Patna where peoples stared openly and whispered, “Is he who we think he is? What is he doing in Patna?” That’s Maddy for you. He has never been conscious of his stardom. When satellite television was in its infancy Maddy did Banegi Apni Baat which made him a kind of household heartthrob. Soon after, Mani Ratnam took a fancy to him and launched him in Tamil cinema Alaiye Payuthe.  It came to Hindi audiences as Saathiya. But lacked the spontaneous charm of the original. Probably because there was no  Madhavan in the remake. But Maddy’s actual debut in cinema, no one knows about. “I played a singer crooning at party in Sudhir Mishra’s Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin. It was a beautiful duet Chup tum raho chup hum rahe composed by the genius M M Keeravaani. He also sang for me. And the wonderful Chithra sang for actress Smriti Mishra who accompanied me on screen. That was my beginning in cinema.” Cut to  Rocketry , Madhavan’s new passion, a biopic on scientist Nambi Narayanan a former scientist from the Indian Space Research Organization who was wrongly accused of espionage. Maddy says, “It broke my heart that this man who gave his life to work for his country was so shoddily treated. There was not a jot of evidence against him. He was still branded a spy. This was a story I had to tell to the world. I realize biopics on anti-social characters are popular. But sometimes, one just needs to do the right thing, irrespective   of what the outcome at the box-office might be.” Madhavan has never shied away from taking risks. At a time when television was considered a medium for losers, he did Sea Hawks and Banegi Apni Baat. They made him a star on the home medium. Madhavan is the original Boy Next Door, the chocolaty Boy Next Door. After Alai Payuthe in Tamil and Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein in Hindi Maddy was a rage with women of every age. They would scream hysterically the minute they spotted him. He would get messages and mail where girls offered to do unmentionable things with him. He had a fool proof remedy for temptation: a   cold shower. He married the woman he loved, the wonderful Sarita Birje, his anchor, touchstone , companion and soul mate. Madhavan is arguably the only leading man in Indian film industry who has never been unfaithful to his wife: “Not even in my thoughts because she can read my mind. Sarita has given me a beautiful home, a wonderful son and a fabulous life. I wonder what I would have been without her. Certainly not the person that I am.” The best thing about Maddy is that he is grounded, sensible, gentle, considerate and faithful to the ones you love. Never change! 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.