R Madhavan, one of the most versatile actors in Bollywood, is celebrating his 52nd birthday today. Right from his humble beginnings as a TV actor to becoming a mainstream hero, R Madhavan has definitely come a long way.
On the actor's special day, let's take a look at some of the unknown facts about him.
Born in Jamshedpur
Madhavan originally belongs to a Tamil family but he was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. His full name is Madhavan Balaji Ranganathan and he is fondly called ‘Maddy’.
R Madhavan wished to join army
Not many know that acting was not the first career choice for the actor. He was one of the top National Cadet Corps cadets in Maharashtra, who got a chance to train in the prestigious British Army, the Royal Navy and also the Royal Air Force. He couldn't join the army as he was six months older than the cut-off age.
He is an avid golfer
The multi-talented actor is amazing at this game. He had qualified for the National Finals in 2017!
How he met his wife
After having won the Indian Championship for Public Speaking, he started oratory classes in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, where he taught Personality Development and Public Speaking. His wife Sarita was one of his students. The duo fell in love and eventually got married. In fact, after marriage, Sarita worked as a costume designer in a couple of his films!
Humble beginnings in showbiz
Contrary to the popular belief, R Madhavan did not make his debut with a TV serial. Before that, he did a TVC for a sandalwood talcum powder in 1996, which was directed by Santosh Sivan. Seeing his dedication to his craft, Sivan recommended him to the ace film-maker Mani Ratnam for a screen test in the Tamil film ‘Iruvar,’ who rejected him at that time because 'his eyes looked young.'
Despite rejecting R Madhavan, Mani Ratnam cast him as a hero
A couple of years later, Mani Ratnam roped in Madhavan as the leading man in his Tamil film ‘Alaipayuthey’, which was a runaway success at the box office. As far as Bollywood is concerned, Maddy made his debut with ‘Rehna Hai Tere Dil Main’, co-starring Saif Ali Khan and Dia Mirza.
R Madhavan turns director
After having spent so many years in front of the camera, Madhavan decided to take the directorial plunge with ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect.' The film, which is based on the life of scientist Nambi Narayanan, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2022.
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