R Madhavan on completing 25 years in film industry: ‘I got a debut that big directors can’t for their kids’

R Madhavan and Mani Ratnam

Milestones often bring moments of reflection. Naturally then, R Madhavan, who completes 25 years in the film industry, is looking back at his journey these days as much as he is looking forward to his 2025 slate that includes De De Pyaar De 2, Dhurandhar, and a romantic comedy with Fatima Sana Shaikh. Asked how he views his journey so far, the actor-director describes it succinctly in one word - "anomaly".

"I have done everything that people said couldn't be done," he shares, recalling the time he was told he wouldn't make it on the big screen due to his popularity on TV, thanks to Banegi Apni Baat and Saaya. "When I over-exposed myself by doing 1,800 episodes of a show, people said, ‘You'll never become a film actor.' I told them I didn't want to be one. Then, I got a debut that big producers and directors can't for their kids - a film with Mani Ratnam, AR Rahman, and PC Sreeram [cinematographer]," says Madhavan of Alai Payuthey (2000) that launched him as a leading man in Tamil cinema.

Madhavan's self-confessed anomalous ways showed up throughout his career. While the crossover of south Indian stars in Hindi films has surged only in the recent past, the actor explored Hindi movies in the early 2000s, beginning with Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001). "When they said I was a Tamil hero, that's when I did Hindi films. And when they called me a Hindi hero, I did Tamil films," he smiles.