R. Madhavan Quotes

I don't mind being called Maddy at all, but I mind the closeness that you assume you get by calling me by my pet name. So merely by calling me Maddy, I don't give you the authority to come and put your hand around my shoulder.

- R. Madhavan

I am not chocolate and definitely not a boy. I am a man, and I have no clue how this image has stuck to me despite all these years. I think, maybe, in spite of trying to shell off my chocolate boy image, love stories excite me, and somehow I land up in such roles.

- R. Madhavan

There's no one beating Mr. Bachchan when it comes to acting. He is outstanding. He is a phenomenal actor and a thorough gentleman. His natural skills at acting just bowled me over, and I've become an even bigger fan of his after working with him.

- R. Madhavan

I learned different ways of working out. I learned a lot about my body. Let me just say that Arnold Schwarzenegger had 20-inch biceps when he did his first film, and when I did 'Saala Khadoos,' being a vegetarian, I managed 18 and half inches.

- R. Madhavan

I'm fantastic at cooking up stories. In the kitchen, I can, at best, make tea and a badly shaped dosa.

- R. Madhavan

Television is a good training ground for aspiring stars. You can experiment and get away, imbibing the positive and viable aspects. Whereas, in cinema, the stakes are high. If something goes wrong, the film falls flat.

- R. Madhavan

I am an extremely selfless but, at the same time, supremely confident actor.

- R. Madhavan

Whenever you have chemistry on-screen, then you have to be very attracted to the person.

- R. Madhavan

It is not easy to lose or gain weight. The diet and the exercise regime should be compatible with your body, or else you end up with wrinkles and hair loss.

- R. Madhavan

I always believe that the elders in my family are the reason for my success.

- R. Madhavan

If anybody accuses me of being rich, I give it back to them because I had a poor economical background. I worked my way up, and I am an exemplary citizen, and I always do what is good for my nation.

- R. Madhavan

I can't dance like Hrithik Roshan. I don't have the necessary glamour like some of the other actors do. They are able to sell themselves on that aspect. I do roles and films which are very realistic. So, in those films, if you don't get into the skin of it, they won't look convincing.

- R. Madhavan

I think new directors come with new perceptions, energy, and passion to win. They don't have to worry about an already existing image or budget that they have to recover.

- R. Madhavan

I don't want to buy a jet plane. I don't want to live with an entourage.

- R. Madhavan

I might sound audacious, but the Mahatma has been a great inspiration. He had the conviction to live with his beliefs in the face of total disbelief.

- R. Madhavan

I'm a Gemini, and my attention span is limited. So, I don't dwell on long-term goals.

- R. Madhavan

It is a privilege that women fancy me, but I cannot sustain the chocolate boy image forever. I don't want to end up being known, like the late veteran Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan was, as the king of romance.

- R. Madhavan

I hail from a small town, Jamshedpur. From childhood, I've been constantly surrounded by people who are not so urban.

- R. Madhavan

As an actor, I would never agree if a newcomer doesn't give me a final word on the script. If it is well-written, then you need not speak to me. I will speak for you.

- R. Madhavan

All great scripts need not reach silver screen, and every good story can't be narrated in a 2-hour film.

- R. Madhavan

When I listen to scripts, I never ask who my co-star is - instead, I ask about the characters and the producers of the particular venture.

- R. Madhavan

I got good offers from Bollywood because I can speak Hindi very well.

- R. Madhavan

Normally, my birthdays are very quiet. I go to the temple with my family and later take blessing from my parents. A few friends come over to my house, and we talk about the year gone by.

- R. Madhavan

Being a parent, it is heartening to see your child wake up every day at 5:45 in the morning to pursue his passion and then manage school as well.

- R. Madhavan

When I go to hotels, sometimes I find waiters and people who do not address me as 'Mr.' or address me as a normal guest would have been addressed, simply because my name is Maddy. I find that slightly offending, but I don't react to it thinking that maybe the name is so casual that people think it's a buddy that you are talking to.

- R. Madhavan

I always take part in the creative process of every film of mine. Gone are the days where an actor would walk into the sets, finish his portions, take the money, and leave. In fact, I've been accused of being interfering - but that's the way I am. It is important for every actor to get involved with the script.

- R. Madhavan

I struggle on many fronts on having to move to a different level, having to cater to constantly evolving audiences.

- R. Madhavan

I realised after doing 'Tanu Weds Manu' that I had become fat and was not performing to the mark. I realised that I had become a terrible actor. I did 'Jodi Breakers,' which did not do well. So, I moved away from the film industry and lived with the common man to know where I was lacking and what do they want from an actor.

- R. Madhavan

'Tanu Weds Manu''s brilliance lies in the fact that it makes the middle class want to be aspirational.

- R. Madhavan

The thing about organic farming is that the produce will not look the same. Your tomato will not resemble the rich red one from the textbook, and that's the beauty of it.

- R. Madhavan

If I could, I would like my son to study in Jamshedpur, where I did my schooling.

- R. Madhavan

For me, my realism has stood me over 15 years, so the kind of films that I have done has garnered enough respect for me to be able to survive the industry.

- R. Madhavan

My assistants will bear testimony to the fact that I am a very angry man.

- R. Madhavan

I am a south Indian, so I speak Tamil.

- R. Madhavan

If you ask me to get a six-pack in the interim between signing a film, I will not do it. I enjoy food and will be happy to feed myself a pizza or two and gorge on cakes. But, I have good control over my body.

- R. Madhavan

People of Maharashtra are close to my heart, and this is where I became who I am, and this has been instrumental in my formative years.

- R. Madhavan

Nobody is in the world should be deprived of the joys of eating.

- R. Madhavan

I don't have anything fresh in terms of raw foods or salad after 4 P.M. And no food after 7 P.M.

- R. Madhavan

It's very embarrassing to talk of your own work before shooting for it and even before it is released. I have been a witness to many of our actors turning red-faced after their films release. I'd rather not be there.

- R. Madhavan

There is a time in every actor's life when he has to face the self-created hurdle after he starts getting bored of work and suddenly realises that he is left behind.

- R. Madhavan

Marital status is not going to affect one's prospects or fan following, for ultimately, talent will prevail. Take Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh Khan, for instance. Actors are mere dream sellers. They cannot become everyone's lover.

- R. Madhavan

Actually Maddy is my name. But I feel that whenever you address somebody, there needs to be certain amount of dignity rendered to it - irrespective of whether it's a film star or somebody you are fond of. I find it very pleasing when somebody refers to me as 'Mr. Madhavan' or 'Sir' or 'Mr. Maddy.'

- R. Madhavan

People have this misconception that people with six-pack abs can deliver hits, but that's not the case. Had I built six-pack abs for 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns,' I wouldn't have been able to justify myself.

- R. Madhavan

If I hadn't been part of '3 Idiots,' I would have felt bloody jealous.

- R. Madhavan

I dislike the trait of ungratefulness.

- R. Madhavan

Oh, I have very limited will power. I wish I could change that. I am working on it, though. I am too easygoing.

- R. Madhavan

I use the Net for a lot of things besides e-mailing. I involve myself in chats with people as part of my research for characters.

- R. Madhavan

All of us wish for a dignity that commands respect. But few have it.

- R. Madhavan

Birds and insects are part of the ecosystem and help in pollination. I don't see any problem in having fruits and vegetables that birds want to eat, as opposed to the perfect shaped tomato that only you can eat and which, by the way, could also be cancerous.

- R. Madhavan

I have always acted in films where women have an equal, if not bigger, role than mine. Don't the kind of films you do reflect your personality?

- R. Madhavan

A loverboy's shelf life is very limited.

- R. Madhavan

I have found out what I am allergic to, and I am trying to avoid that in my daily food intake.

- R. Madhavan

For every film that I have believed in - from 'Tanu Weds Manu' to 'Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein' - it was very difficult to find producers.

- R. Madhavan

I've always believed that the script is the boss.

- R. Madhavan

When you go into the realm of a double role, you have to take it to another level to make it believable.

- R. Madhavan

I am not someone who would raise my voice to seek publicity. I am a responsible citizen, and I continue to be so.

- R. Madhavan

Making six-pack abs for no reason doesn't make sense. When you are young, it is possible.

- R. Madhavan

When it comes to filmmaking, we have to deal with ego, anger, and a lot more; barring all these, how the team works towards the outcome matters.

- R. Madhavan

Sequels face the risk of being constantly compared to the first film.

- R. Madhavan

I would prefer to work for directors who give me the script and written screenplay at the outset.

- R. Madhavan

Actually, nobody has ever given me an award, and also, it's not really important in my life. I go to these award shows for meeting my friends.

- R. Madhavan

Any story, any screenplay can only happen if the whole unit is professionally working towards it.

- R. Madhavan

If I look like a six-pack replete warrior in 'Tanu Weds Manu,' viewers are not going accept me.

- R. Madhavan

I had built my body to look like a boxer, then I lost it completely for 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns.' It was really tough gaining weight, building muscles, and then losing it completely for another film.

- R. Madhavan

When we make a film like 'TWM Returns,' it is important that we don't think of bettering anything. It's like a baby being born: all you can hope for is the best. But you can't decide how the baby is going to look. Similarly with the movie - you can't think of making it better; you only can think of making the best film possible.

- R. Madhavan

I studied B.Sc electronics to be an engineer and later did masters in communication and advertising. I loved engineering for what it could accomplish to make our lives easier. But, I realised that it was not my passion.

- R. Madhavan

I told my wife that I want to take a three-year break. She supported me and said, 'Please go ahead.' I am grateful that she supported me. For me, this romance and understanding is very important in our marriage.

- R. Madhavan

Films are my life; I don't think there is anything that I would not do for the sake of the movie.

- R. Madhavan

I am very choosy about my films. I don't do a film just for the sake of money.

- R. Madhavan

I eat exactly three times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. I sit quietly for 20 minutes without anybody disturbing me, and I chew each mouthful 60 times.

- R. Madhavan

It took me 15 years of being in the industry to know that you need makeup and styling when you go out, that you need to have PR.

- R. Madhavan

I can think of doing TV shows if the money is good.

- R. Madhavan

If you do not have a good script, then no matter what the genre is, the film will not be a success.

- R. Madhavan

One needs to be super intelligent and have an above-average IQ to be able to work in movies.

- R. Madhavan

A film star is a film star, and you can't take that away. Hence, I don't think about money when I do films, but I will do it for TV like the way I do it for endorsements.

- R. Madhavan

Finding one good script is a huge challenge. So I do a film whose script comes and grabs me. Once I finish that, I look forward to the next movie.

- R. Madhavan

I was really lucky and blessed to have had the likes of directors such as Mani Ratnam and Rajkumar Hirani in my career.

- R. Madhavan

I've realised that to make a successful film, you have to be with a unit which is happy and positive from the beginning.

- R. Madhavan

I have been very cautious about the films that I do. I hope to always entertain my audience. The day I am not able to do that, I will quit acting.

- R. Madhavan

I don't think there's anymore chocolate boy left in me... Like, if I do the roles on the screen that border on romance, it will be age-appropriate.

- R. Madhavan

I am no more the 'chocolate boy.' Still, romance is always going to be a part of my life.

- R. Madhavan

When I do a film, I try and see how in tune I am with the director.

- R. Madhavan

If you say actors have a social responsibility to do things, you are right, in a way. It's a wishful decision. But if it's done out of force, I don't think it will accomplish anything. Everybody starts counting how much work they have done and see if they have done their due for the week. That is not social service. You need to go way beyond that.

- R. Madhavan

I eat before I feel hungry. I know that when you order food or shop on an empty stomach, you always tend to over-eat, over-order, or over-shop. So I always eat slightly before I'm famished.

- R. Madhavan

I am a hardcore Bihari boy. I am born and brought up in Bihar, and for me, ethnicity is not a problem and is inbuilt in me.

- R. Madhavan

Success, or the lack of it, has a way to make you realise what your boundaries are.

- R. Madhavan

I've done some wonderful performance on TV even better than films. But once people watch it, they just forget it. The impact is not strong. So, films and TV are different.

- R. Madhavan

I am a Tambrahm born and brought up in Jamshedpur 20 years of my life, as my father worked for the Tatas there. My mother was a chief manager in the Bank of India and the only lady manager in Bihar in those times.

- R. Madhavan

My favourite food is definitely paani puri.

- R. Madhavan

It is very important for an actor to look physically attractive.

- R. Madhavan

I value my independence a lot, and the thought of having to lose that due to age or any other reason terrifies me.

- R. Madhavan

I am one of those people who are really short-tempered, but I don't lose it unless it is justified.

- R. Madhavan

If you have a great story, any film will work.

- R. Madhavan

I think Anand Rai is one of the few brilliant directors we have.

- R. Madhavan

Golf has always been a passion over the years.

- R. Madhavan

Acting is like any other profession. I do not think stars need to have any hang-ups in public. I do not like to be treated like someone special - and this I say because I am normal and not because I want to sound humble.

- R. Madhavan

I took a break so that I can entertain my audience properly.

- R. Madhavan

There is a difference between being educated and academics.

- R. Madhavan