R Madhavan’s lesson on what it means to be a true ‘gentleman’: His co-star was 19 but actor's presence made her feel safe on film set. ‘I was so young’

R Madhavan has worked with some of the biggest names in Indian cinema, but one of the strongest compliments he has received from a co-star is also one of the simplest. For Dia Mirza, who worked with him in her first film, being around Madhavan meant feeling safe at a time when she was only 19 and still completely new to the film industry. More than two decades after Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, Dia still remembers Madhavan for the way he made her feel on set.

She did not speak about his popularity or his acting when asked about the actors who had left a lasting impression on her. Instead, she remembered his conduct towards her when she was a young newcomer.

Dia Mirza called Madhavan a ‘total gentleman’

Speaking to NDTV, Dia looked back at the actors she has worked with during her career and explained what she remembers about each of them. When the conversation turned to Madhavan, her words immediately focused on the comfort and safety she experienced while working with him.


“He's a total gentleman. I remember feeling so safe working with him. I was so young, and it was my first film.”

Dia was not describing Madhavan through a single incident. She was remembering the overall experience of working alongside him during a stage of her life when everything about the industry was unfamiliar.

For a 19-year-old actor making her debut, the behaviour of people around her could have made the first film either much more difficult or much easier. Dia's memory suggests that Madhavan was someone who made that environment less intimidating for her.

He made a young co-star feel comfortable enough to be herself

Dia went on to explain what she valued most about her equation with Madhavan. It was not only that she felt safe around him, but that she never felt the need to change who she was. “He felt like somebody I could just be myself with. I feel exactly the same way about him even today.”

That is also why her description of Madhavan as a gentleman carries more weight than a routine compliment between co-stars. She was talking about how he behaved with her when she was young, inexperienced and appearing in her first film, and she still remembers that feeling years later.

The old film set had very little privacy

Her recollection becomes more notable when seen against the working conditions actors dealt with at the time. Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein was shot in 2001, when vanity vans were not a normal part of every film production.

Daisy Shah, who worked as a background dancer on the film, oncw recalled that the cast did not have vanity vans during a schedule in South Africa. She said Dia once had to go to a mall to change her costume during a song shoot.

Dia had also spoken to BBC Hindi about the lack of basic facilities during outdoor shoots. “When we would go to locations to shoot songs, a basic thing like a toilet wouldn’t be available. We would have to go behind trees, behind rocks, and three people would shield you with large sheets. We wouldn’t have space to change clothes. Basically, we lacked access to privacy, access to basic hygiene.”

In that kind of environment, Dia remembering Madhavan specifically for making her feel safe says something about the way he conducted himself around a young co-star.

Madhavan remains ‘very, very special’ to her

Dia and Madhavan have not worked together again since Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, but she says her feelings about him have not changed.

“There will always be a place he has in my heart as someone I shared screen time with in a first film that is so deeply loved. He will always be very, very special to me.”

The film went on to become a cult favourite years after its 2001 release, but Dia's comments offer another reason that her memories of it remain strong. Madhavan was not simply the actor opposite her in her debut. For a 19-year-old actress entering an unfamiliar industry, he was the co-star who made her feel safe enough to be herself.

And more than 20 years later, that is still what she remembers about him.