You know people keep talking about how this competitive and killer and stuff but
if I have to go by what Shah Rukh sir and Surya did for me
without taking a pie and went bent over backwards to get it done
And Shah Rukh shot with me for English as well as for Hindi
I mean if you ask me and I'll tell you with a hand on my heart
that this film, that in the industry is full of some
extraordinarily graceful and generous people and
I am an outsider, I have no qualms in admitting it because I am
After Rocketry releases I want to sleep
and then I want to cleanse mtself
I want to cleanse my mind of the fact that you know
every time I go to another set to act
I'd be carrying my director, producer, editor and writing ability with me
and passing judgement on that poor guy who's trying to direct me all the time
and it's not fair so I need to you know I need to actively get rid of those aspects of mine
become earnest as a baby and learn to act when I'm happiest
Finally, the producers are remaking the film-
which one?
Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein Oh I wish them all the very best [Madhavan]
Are you happy with it?
I think it's foolishness
I think it will be a flavour that the Hindi film industry will appreciate and
I'm very keen to see what Hrithik and Saif have brought to the room
A few southern films have done well
few expected Hindi films have not done well
and therefore you know comparison and a conflict and a debate
But I think at the end of the day the Indian film industry
If push comes to a shove we'll all be standing together
Hi everyone this is Avinash Lohana and you're watching Pinkvilla
Today I'm in conversation with a very versatile actor
Please welcome R Madhavan
Thanks Avinash
Thank you sir firstly, for doing this with us
and before we started the interview I told you I'm really excited for the film
and I put it on record that I and a lot of people around me are really excited for the film
so thank you for that
I want to start by asking you, you've not not only acted in the film
but you've directed, produced and written it
Now, what was about it that got you so consuming?
Let me tell you how it all happened in the first place
and how this happened the sense that when I was an actor
and people told me in this particular film a guy is acting, directing, writing the script as well
as the lyrics, I used to snigger because I used to think that was the end of that film
there is no way that anybody in today's world can take care of all those departments
which requires levels of expertise that's unheard of
and still pull off a film that is affective
but as far as this is concerned I didn't have a choice I don't think
it was a pragmatic logical or even a sensible decision
It happened that I heard about Nambi Narayan's story
from somebody who said there was a good-looking scientist
who had an affair with the Maldivian woman and because of that
he sold secrets of Indian rocketry to Pakistan
he was arrested tortured almost killed and then he came out
and proved that he was innocent
that's a great yeah
small you know poor man's James Bond story
you know good looking but
when I met him you know I was like hit by a sledgehammer
so something that I knew we as a
me as a person
we as a society and as a nation were missing in this whole picture
Dr Nambi Narayan had an aura
you know he had an aura that was baffling
you know he was tall broad but he had a you know had
a look of being hurt at the same time if you attempted to show any sympathy
he would crush in your head and he wasn't looking for sympathy
he was just how can they call me a traitor
how can they accuse me of espionage
where is the case? and I said sir
it's been 15 years since you've been you know
since you've been proved innocent
what is the problem he says you know it
I know it the court knows it
but open google and put my name and see what comes?
and sure enough ISRO spy case fame Nambi Narayan even now
really? yeah
because algorithms don't take it away people don't let you forget that you were
accused of being a spy so there's always a suspicion that you were a spy and
I thought that made a lot of sense
and I got carried away with what he was saying
and I wrote a script for 7 months about the case about the futility of the case
and the absurdity of the case but when I met him after 7 months
he said all that is good, you've written a good script but
this part is wrong because during this time I was actually in Princeton
learning instability theorem from Kruskal
It was impossible to believe anything he said after that
impossible to believe
I just thought that it's ridiculous that somebody should even
claim to have done everything that he seemed casually talk about as his achievement
from Princeton, to Scotland to France to 52 scientists going there
and working for 3 years pretending not to know how to speak French
Or going to the USSR as it's breaking down and snatching engines that were promised to us
and smuggling them from Siberia to India via Pakistan
I mean I want to do a poor man's James Bond film
and here I was talking to the father and father of bloody James bond and james bond looks
like a kid in front of all that he's managed to achieve
and he casually talks about how he made the Vikas engine like
we talk about we made an extra spaghetti at home and
I said, what do you mean you made the Vikas engine
and he said I made it I'm the father of Vikas engine and I named it after my mentor Vikram A Sarabhai
that's the day, Avinash something just snapped inside me
and I felt this was not a biopic to be made this is more of a national duty
I needed to talk about Nambi Narayan's achievements
most people don't know he's been given the Padma Bhushan
those who know, don't even know why he got it
and most people who even know who knows why he got the Padma Bhushan
don't know the importance of his achievements in today's world and those people
who think they know do not effectiveness of this in the next 10 years
that interplanetary travel and space is going to become a reality in all our lives
and that's why we need to nurture and know him
and to nurture him first you have to know him and
to know him e have to protect him and
that overwhelming desire to tell the story to India and to make people understand
that we have our own set of heroes better than the ones
that they keep showing in Hollywood
who managed to achieve colossal levels of success but not know about it
kind of became a maniacal a lot of possessive sort of a-
I would say almost insanity in me and all my unit
and I think it's because of this insanity that we were able to
you know not worry about which department we are from
I never worried that I've never been to as a
I've never been a director of a iPhone film
I do not know how to edit or speak to an editor or go to music sitting
what to talk to a graphic guy I just know which story I was saying
and with that stupidity and insanity is how we managed to finish this film
But I have to ask you this, at any point did it get too much to handle?
Now, right now. As I speak to you
I didn't think it through
When I did the film and I did all the departments
when publicity comes i will have to take dawn different hats
I didn't have a heroine or a producer take the stress off me
in terms of talking even, my throat's hoarse and I
I didn't expect this part to be as difficult as it is but
I'm selling my film and I'm passionate about it so I'm going to give it my best
But Madhavan, that has always been about you ever since even
your growing up years correct me if I'm wrong
At 18 you went to Canada as a cultural exchange program, you've done a BSc in electronics at some point
you've been a teacher of public speaking and personality development
you were one of the leading candidates in NCC in Maharashtra
No in India In India
I was sent to England to train with the royal army, navy and the air force
which is when you also wanted to get into the air force but
you missed it by six months
you yourself have been so passionate about so I'm not surprised
by the mammoth task that you have taken
But what Dr Nambi Narayan has achieved
Of course, No no i mean
All these pales in comparison to what he has done
It really does and even now despite all that this country has managed to inflict upon him
he still talks about patriotism, he's like India...
let's keep the basic why is Sriharikota still empty we have to have 5 launches in a day
you know it is the best place to launch it the efficiency of the launch
becomes 30% more, we are closest to the centre of gravity
you know the centre of gravity is the least and we are closest to speed
I mean he's always at it and I'm amazed I hope I have that much of
excitement and desire to live in sanity as he has been when he's 80
And I'm really sad that he's not here with with us today
but he would have charmed the fans of this interview
I'm sure but I mean you're here and I'm very thankful for that
But I have to also ask you this direction is a very tough job
would you do it again?
No no
I don't think ever I mean I'm
I'm not being humble here
I'm being pragmatic first time in the six and a half years
I don't have the qualifications to be a director I have not been to an acting school
you know I've not been to any school that's connected to the film industry
I've not learned anything actively
so there's no right for me to debate
I just did this instinctively and
and in only time and god and the public will say after the 1st of July
whether I was actually effective or successful in doing that
but that by no means at one point I mean I don't know
if I'll be considered a good director or a good actor I am-
I don't think I have the ability to direct
Sure. but with all this experience and with such a mammoth task do you still feel that
Yeah in fact if anything else after Rocketry releases I want to sleep
and i want to cleanse myself I want to cleanse my mind
of the fact that everytime I go to another set to act
I'll be carrying my director and producer, editor and writing ability with me
and passing judgement on that poor guy who's trying to direct me all the time
and it's not fair so I need to you know
I need to actively get rid of those aspects of mine
and become earnest as a baby and learn to act when I'm happiest
you were able to differentiate between a director and an actor yourself within yourself?
yeah I was able to differentiate between the duties
But I did not know that as a director the most difficult job would be
to direct myself
that was crazy, that was really really crazy
so I have to okay my own shot
and while I'm doing the shot I have to be a director
but I as an actor cannot allow to get my director to get in my mind you know
it's just crazy
it's just a split personality
sure, you're very active on twitter and you respond to a lot love that you get
from your fans also and I know you still get a lot of reactions on
Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein when you look back at that time today and
when you look at the work you're doing today how does it feel? I mean-
do you feel grateful for this journey?
Avinash I'm not the kind of guy who looks back often and evaluates one's life
about what has happened. I'm actually a very live in the moment kind of a guy
so I'm grateful that I've had he ability with my work and
the love of the public to do what I want to and when I want to
that freedom being a rarity
But I didn't gloat over it, I'm just grateful for it
Apparently the producers are remaking the film
which one? rehna Hai tere...
Oh I wish them all the very best
Are you happy with it? I think it's foolishness
That's my opinion.
No I agree with you
It's a classic
Yeah I wouldn't want to touch that I won't do it as a producer
I wish them all the very best from the bottom of my heart I do
and I hope they surprise us because nothing in the industry
can actually be predicted
but it is a
you know it's
It has a lot of memories attached to it you know for a lot of people
For all of us
i mean not me as an actor, my memories are different from yours
but for the audience it is more than movie
it's sort of an anthem in some ways
So it's like almost saying 15 years from now you're going to make 3 Idiots
it's a i don't think it's a sensible...
decision at all-
I think let me just put it again I think it's a brave decision
yeah maybe correct
Also when 2 superstars come together it's always grabs eyeballs
in this case you and Shah Rukh Sir came together for this film
you have spoken about how he came on board and all of that
But was it surprising to you?
Yeah. I mean I was pleasantly surprised and highly indebted actually
you know people keep talking about how this industry is competitive
and killer and stuff but if I had to go by what Shah Rukh sir and Surya did for me
without taking a pie and went bent over backwards to get it done
and Shah Rukh shot with me for english as well asfor Hindi
I mean if you ask me and I'll tell you with a hand on my heart
that this industry is full of some extraordinarily graceful and generous people
and I am an outsider, I have no qualms in admitting it because I am
and I have found the kind of support and acceptance and love that I-
you know I'm always going to be very grateful, I don't have any complaints at all
I don't think the good Lord will forgive me if have to say anything otherwise
because that's exactly how I feel
So what do you have to say about this Bollywood versus south debate that's going on-
It's a new thing It's a good thing
It's a good thing we have all the time in the life to fight about things like this
these are trifle affairs and it obviously means everything is hunky-dory because
like you know when at home people start fighting over trivial matters
you know everything is well in the house and that's what is happening over here
A few southern films have done well few expected Hindi films have not done well
and therefore you know comparison and a conflict and a debate
but I think at the end of the day it's the Indian film industry
if push comes to a shove we'll all be standing together
But do you like actors to discuss this within yourself is that a topic of discussion?
Yeah you'll be the media guys will be surprised
how much we laugh at you all when we are together simply because
we know you all are drumming it up and whatever you want
you know you create an enmity and an argument
but at the end of the day behind the closed doors
it's a very very cohesive industry
Wow, excited for the Vikram Vedha remake? you went on the set also
Yeah, just to see and to make sure Saif wasn't beating me at it
just kidding, Saif is very charming and I think he's going to bring a new dimension to the role
that I heven't seen before
Are you happy about it? did you see-
I am, I trust the team involved to really come up with absolutely new because
they have the greatest ability to do it
Pushkar and Gayatri have just given a series called Suzhal
which has blown everybody's pants off again it's so good
and so they will not give you a normal product for sure
I think it will be a flavour that the Hindi film industry will appreciate
and I'm very keen to see what Hrithik and Saif has brought to the role
And the last question, besides Rocketry what else is in the pipeline?
Besides Rocketry after the release it's two months of sleeping
three months of eating what I want to and then
spending time with my family,
doing everything that I've not been able to do in the last six years
and then if I have time I'll think about a subject that I want o do
But that is well deserved sir
thank you so much
you're very kind Avinash, I see the respect in your voice and your tone thank you so much
Hi this is Madhavan,
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