Ok, where do we even begin? Maddy started winning chick-votes with his first ever major film appearance and the female fandom has never once ebbed; on the contrary, women have been slapping life-sized posters of him in their bedroom for over a decade now. Be it his skinny days during ‘Dumm DummDumm’, ‘Minnale’ and ‘LesaLesa’, his adorably pudgy look in ‘Priyasakhi’ or his latest beefcake avatar for his ‘Vikram Vedha’, we’ve come to love this man in all his forms! It has to do with his ability to express himself in refined diction (refer all the award shows he’s hosted), his disarming candor that is always accompanied by his wit and the potential to earn respect despite being a non-dancer in Kollywood (where even tree branches are expected to cut a rug).
It’s not just that his films have fared decently and consistently above par in south and the north, the man also values the environment and strives passionately towards its conservation. He has been polled “cutest male vegetarian” by PETA and has constantly been appreciated for his sincere efforts to protect animal rights. With proficiency in English, Tamil, Hindi and some Bihari languages, his endearing presence on-screen (even in an antagonistic role, he can melt your heart right down) and his genuine love towards all beings, it is impossible not to fall for this embodiment of cuteness!
These pictures are enough proof that we couldn’t have had a better 90s! Maddy’s first stint at television still makes us nostalgic. Remember him as the ship’s captain in Seahawks? That was 19 years ago! Gosh!!!
Alaipayuthey will always be considered a classic! This Mani Ratnam movie was a huge blockbuster and was Madhavan’s breakthrough film. His charming looks, million dollar smile and rocking chemistry with Shalini Ajith is still as fresh as it was in 2000.
There he was! The newest sensation topping the box office collections. Ennavale, Minnale and Dum Dum Dum followed the same success story. Madhavan went on to do many films down south and then he made his debut in Bollywood.
Maddy’s Minnale was remade in Hindi and was titled Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein. The movie didn’t fare well at the box office, but Madhavan received praises for his performance. Later when the movie was screened on television, it became quite a hit among youngsters for its catchy story and brilliant songs!
Kannathil Muthamittal was the most critically acclaimed movie of the star. Madhavan and Simran played parents to an adopted daughter and the script was set in the backdrop of Sri Lankan war. The film won 6 National awards and Madhavan’s performance in the movie is considered his best!
Rang De Basanti will always be one of the most important movies in Indian cinema. Though Madhavan had a short role, his character played the catalyst in the modern patriotic story of youngsters! Yuva, Run and many other movies brought Madhavan’s career to a stable stage! Tanu Weds Manu and its sequel broke many box office records.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns was also as successful as the the first part and Madhavan was aware that he would be overshadowed by Kangana who plays a double role in the movie! But the actor’s performance stood apart and he made his presence felt through out the movie! We quite loved him in this one!
Irudhi Suttru opened to great reviews and a lot has been spoken about his look in the film which comes from working out in the gym over a period of a year and a half. “If you look the part, then people don’t feel cheated so my conscious decision was to work out long, slow and hard to achieve the look. I cannot be playing the role of a soldier and look podgy! I realized how important it is to look the part that you are playing.” With this role, he has shed his image of the quintessential lover-boy and molded himself to the character of a buff boxer. Ask him if this is the route he wishes to follow and he laughs, “No, this is not going to be my look forever. If I want to look convincing as a lover boy in my next movie, I cannot be so beefed up! On a lighter note, I consider my looks in a movie to be uber important so if in the next movie, I am playing a clown, you can expect me to be in full form clown avatar!”
This is the first time Maddy has changed so much physically for one role and it left all of his fans surprised. His wife, his first fan, and critic seems to have loved his look in the film. “Sarita absolutely loved it. She felt that this is the best I have ever looked at any film of mine. She also said that after the movie, women were going to go nuts over me, which is a little exaggerated if you ask me!” Tell him that his female fan following never really came down and he enthusiastically quips, “That is a huge motivation for me to look good at all times and perform to my best of abilities. At 45, to think that I can actually pull off the image is quite consoling!”
When Vikram Vedha released it was double the bonanza with two easy on-the-eye-men on screen with Maddy went against Vijay Sethupathi. A clear hit the film ran for weeks on end and kept us all on toes. A thriller at the most, Maddy’s avatar as a perfectly fit cop with a negative shade absolutely slew his performance.
“For me, it is always one film at a time, so it is not really a bad thing for me to keep shifting from Tamil and Hindi because both are home to me and I am proficient in both the languages. The love and affection I get from Chennai is overwhelming and I will continue to do films here every chance I get. But I also feel that films like Tanu Weds Manu and 3 Idiots in the Tamil industry are very less so I consider myself extremely lucky to have done them. Ideally, I would love to do every film in Tamil but we have to wait for that metamorphosis in terms of scripts to happen,” says Maddy!!
What’s next for Maddy?
For the first of its kind, Maddy will be seen in a web series on Amazon Prime called Breathe. The series is a psychological thriller where a father is willing to go to any lengths to save his child from a possibly cruel end. The role of the father, Danny Mascarenhas, is played by none other than our own Madhavan. Check out the trailer here:
