‘Should have put my foot down’: Actor R Madhavan on the Tamil film he regrets doing. How he bounced back with 3 Idiots, Tanu Weds Manu

Actor R Madhavan is synonymous with films that often leave a deep impact on audiences. The 56-year-old earned praise for his stint as Ajay Sanyal, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), in Dhurandhar 2, led by Ranveer Singh. More recently, he made headlines for slipping into the shoes of GD Naidu, often referred to as the Edison of India, in the Tamil biographical drama GDN. But despite the stardom, Madhavan does have some regrets about some of his movie choices. He made the revelation himself.

Actor R Madhavan on Vaazhthugal failure

Madhavan, in an interview with Madan Gowri, has opened up about one Tamil film that he wished he wasn’t a part of. The actor was talking about the 2007 romance drama Vaazhthugal. ‘I think, with all due respect, it would be Vaazhthugal. I didn’t pay enough attention to the film,’ he said.

Madhavan admitted that he should have been more involved in the process of the film and should have put his foot down. The actor noted that he thought since the film had a big director and a good team, everything would work out in favour of the film, but he was mistaken.

Vaazhthugal plot

‘We assumed that if we did everything that was expected of us, the film would be a hit. But despite our efforts, it failed,’ shared Madhavan. For the unversed, Vaazhthugal, directed by Seeman, centred around a socially conscious software entrepreneur, Kathiravan (Madhavan), who falls for a woman named Kayalvizhi (Bhavana) after watching her television interview about family values.

Kathiravan disguises himself as an interior contractor who steps inside Kayalvizhi’s conservative household to win their trust, as her family is strictly opposed to love marriages. But when Kathiravan’s real identity is revealed, conflict arises in Kayalvizhi’s family, leading to an emotional rollercoaster.

Actor R Madhavan’s 3 Idiots, Tanu Weds Manu success

When Vaazhthugal flopped at the box office, director Seeman dropped the third film he was planning to do with Madhavan, titled Pagalavan. Madhavan, however, was quick to bounce back from the failure with the critically acclaimed drama Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008), directed by Nishikant Kamat, followed by Rajkumar Hirani’s 2009 blockbuster 3 Idiots and Aanand L Rai’s 2011 romantic comedy Tanu Weds Manu.