Actor R. Madhavan, who made a special place in the hearts of the audience with his romantic role in the film 'Raha Hai Tere Dil Mein,' has proven himself over time by bringing diversity to his acting. He is all set to return to the world of romance once again with the film 'Aap Jaisa Koi,' where he will be paired with actress Fatima Sana Shaikh.

Recently, Madhavan had a special conversation with 'Hindusthan Samachar' about this film. Here are some highlights from the interview-

Q. How has the definition and approach to romance in films changed for you?

Yes, absolutely. 'Aap Jaisa Koi' has been a challenging film for me in many ways. I started my career with a romantic character like 'Raha Hai Tere Dil Mein' and have come this far. The way romance was portrayed back then was entirely different. There were no dating apps, nor was there the same openness. Back then, if you wanted to talk to a girl, you often had to chase after her to express your feelings, which is completely unacceptable today. Over time, thoughts and approaches have changed, and I have had to continuously evolve myself as well. The biggest challenge for me in this film was to look age-appropriate for the character while also showcasing good chemistry between me and my co-star. To be honest, I was quite nervous—would I look good on screen? Would our pairing work? But there was also new excitement in that nervousness.

Q. How appropriate is it to have a significant age difference between the lead cast?

I have seen many examples in my own family where there is a 15-20 year age difference between husband and wife, but their relationship has never been lacking. They are both happy with each other, and that is the most important thing in the end. Speaking of films, many actors today are working with actresses much younger than themselves. As long as their chemistry on screen is impactful and the work is good, the audience fully accepts it. More than age, what matters is how truthfully and honestly you are portraying your character.

Q. What would you like to say about your understanding of cinema?

Filmmakers like Rajkumar Hirani are truly masters of cinema, and I can’t even imagine comparing myself to them. To be honest, I have never been a devotee of cinema. People like my film’s director Vivek Soni are real cinema lovers; they are like priests of films, but my case is completely different. I neither had much knowledge about films nor any particular attachment to it. I never thought I would become an actor, nor did I ever have that desire. Everything happened by coincidence. In fact, I started working on television just because I thought I could earn 3,000 rupees a day, which was fine, so let's do it. At that time, many people were eager to enter the film industry, but I had no such anxiety. Perhaps it was this ease that led the audience to start accepting me, and gradually I began to get good roles.

Q. You have done only a select few films in your career; what’s the reason behind that?

Earlier, I thought my biggest fan following was among women, but one day when I looked at Instagram and Twitter analytics, I was surprised. In fact, around 75% of my following is men aged 18 to 40. The rest are women. I stepped into the film industry at the age of 30, and by the time I became a romantic hero in 'Raha Hai Tere Dil Mein,' I was already 32. At that time, I felt that if I kept doing the same kind of romantic films, people would soon start seeing me as just a flirtatious type of hero. My first three films were with big directors, which led other directors to believe that I only worked with them or that I had a deep understanding of cinema. Because of this, many films didn’t come my way. Gradually, I realized that I was doing the same type of films. I questioned myself—what am I doing? I’m a gold medalist, a public speaker, I have so much to offer, but none of this was reflected in my films. That’s when I took a break, re-evaluated myself, and returned as a real person. In this journey, I am especially grateful to people like director Vivek Soni, who understood me and gave me the opportunity in a film like 'Aap Jaisa Koi.'

Q. You are now doing more OTT projects than cinema; is there a significant reason for that?

My priority has always been good stories. Working for OTT is not easy. When you create an eight-episode series, it requires a lot of effort and time. The format of OTT is completely different from films. When you make a film for OTT, the script needs to be very strong because you don't have the grand visual impact that theaters provide. For example, my films 'Shaitaan' and 'Kesari' were made for the big screen, where their scale and emotion only truly resonate in theaters. In contrast, a show like 'Breathe' is better suited for OTT rather than theaters. Therefore, I first look at the story and script, then decide which platform will be the best fit since every story has a suitable medium.

Hindusthan Samachar/ Lokesh Chandra Dubey / Sunita Nigam

Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar