Ranganathan Madhavan, popularly known as R. Madhavan to his fans, has proved his acting prowess both in Tamil and Hindi cinema. The versatile actor has emerged as one of the most bankable actors in both the South Indian and Hindi film industries. Apart from acting, in his two-decade long career he has also donned the hat of writer, director and producer.
He is one of the finest actors, who has given big Bollywood hits like 3 Idiots, Tanu Weds Manu, and Rang De Basanti.
Madhavan, known as Maddy to his friends in the film industry, celebrates his 53rd birthday on Thursday, June 1.
Here’s a look at his remarkable journey in the film industry:
Madhavan started his career in the 1990s as a television actor in Tamil Nadu. He appeared in several popular shows and has done about 1,800 episodes on different TV channels.
He was offered his first movie, an English-language film, Inferno, in 1997. After that, he made his debut in 1998 with Kannada comic drama Shanti Shanti Shanti.
He was then offered iconic filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s Alaipayuthey in 2000.
His big break in Bollywood came in 2001, with the role of Maddy in Gautam Menon’s romantic drama Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein. The film, starring Saif Ali Khan and Dia Mirza, developed a cult following among the youth and it is still one of the most popular films of his career.
The actor then appeared in several movies, including Kannathil Muthamittal, Priyamaana Thozhi, and Aayutha Ezhuthu, for which he won a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He was then seen in ‘Ramji Londonwaley,’ essaying the role of a cook.
In 2006, he appeared in Rakesh Omprakash Mehra’s Rang De Basanti, co-starring Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth, and Soha Ali Khan. The film was a massive success and brought him critical acclaim.
He next appeared in Mani Ratnam’s Guru alongside Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan in 2007.
In 2009, he bagged one of his career’s greatest roles in Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots. The movie was a massive hit and it went on to become one of the highest-grossing Bollywood movies of all time. Madhavan received IIFA and Filmfare Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Farhan.
He was next seen in movies like, Teen Patti and Jhoota Hi Sahi.
The next big project came in 2011, when he appeared in Anand L Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu, co-starring Kangana Ranaut. The film was a mega success and became one of the top grossers at the box office that year.
He reprised his role as Manu, in Tanu Weds Manu Returns, which also did exceptionally well upon its release in 2015.
Next, he appeared as a boxing coach in the bilingual sports drama titled Irudhi Suttru in Tamil and Saala Khadoos in Hindi. His role in Irudhi Suttru won him Best Actor award at the Filmfare, IIFA, and SIIMA awards.
Madhavan then appeared in projects like Tamil neo-noir action crime thriller film Vikram Vedha, the Bollywood drama Chanda Mama Door Ke (2018) and Karu Palaniappan’s socio-drama Gramophone.
In 2022, he worked in what is said to be his passion project, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. The biographical drama based on the life of former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, was well received by the audiences and the critics. Madhavan wrote, directed and produced this film, which was screened at Cannes 2022.
