R Madhavan has carved a place for himself in Indian cinema with his versatile performances across Tamil, Hindi and other regional industries. The actor, who started his career with early television appearances, went on to take on a wide range of roles over the years.
The 2000 Tamil film Alaipayuthey marked an important milestone in his journey as his first leading role. He was advised to keep his marriage to Sarita Birje away from the media.
Recalling the incident during an interaction at the Indian School of Business, Madhavan said he chose to ignore the advice. The actor maintained that he was not willing to hide his marriage, even if being open about it meant putting his chances of becoming a leading man at risk.
"The publicity department came and told me, ‘Maddy, when you do the press conference, don't talk about your marriage. We know you got married six months before the release of your film. Don't talk to the media about your marriage because then the film will flop,'" he said.
Uncomfortable with the suggestion, Madhavan decided to address the matter directly with director Mani Ratnam. The actor shared that he approached the filmmaker and explained that he was being asked to misrepresent the truth about his marriage.
“He said, ‘Do whatever you want.' I think it was an insult to him that just because the hero is married, a Mani Ratnam film will flop. That is not the right picture," the actor added.
R Madhavan's marital status came up at the press conference regardless. He recalled being asked the very first question about whether audiences would accept him as a romantic hero despite being married. His wife, Sarita, was seated beside him during the interaction.
"As expected, the first question they asked me was, ‘Sir, I believe you are married and your wife is here. Are you confident that you will be accepted as a romantic hero by the audience?' I said, ‘I have come here as an actor and I am portraying a character. But I cannot ignore this woman who is beside me, whom I married, and pretend that she doesn't exist just because of this. That is really humiliating," he shared.
The actor added, “I am really sorry if I don't become a romantic hero. That is fine. But I want to say that I am willing to take that risk rather than disrespect my wife."
According to Madhavan, his response quickly gained attention and ended up challenging the very perception he had been cautioned about. He said the interview was met with immediate acceptance, eventually proving that audiences were willing to embrace a married actor in a romantic lead.
Alaipayuthey was also a major commercial and critical success. The film turned R Madhavan into an overnight star and became a cult classic in Tamil cinema.
Also Read | 'It Was Adharma For Me': When Madhavan Lived With Families Who 'Slaughtered Cows For A Living'
