From Rocketry The Nambi Effect to The Railway Men - The rise and rise of R Madhavan

Not so long ago, we were swooning over R Madhavan’s chocolate boy-looks and charm in Minnale, Dumm Dumm Dumm and Alaipayuthey. Nearly two decades later, there’s more to the Madhavan phenomenon beyond his charm - he’s aged like fine wine. Refusing to confine himself to commercial diktats, he’s evolved as a performer and made a stellar debut as a filmmaker too.

The year had begun well for Madhavan when his debut directorial effort Rocketry: The Nambi Effect won him the coveted National Award (Best Feature Film). Besides directing it, he’d also written it, acted in it and produced it across three languages and tasted commercial success too. Another cherry on the cake was his presence in the critically acclaimed Netflix show The Railway Men.

Also read: IND vs AUS Final: R Madhavan adds humour to Australia's fielding dominance 

Madhavan played Rati Pandey, the general manager of the Central Railway Zone, in the Shiv Rawail-directed The Railway Men, which released to glowing reviews from critics and continues to enjoy impressive viewership on Netflix. From television to feature films to OTT shows, the actor-filmmaker has reinvented himself remarkably over time and looks to better himself with every opportunity.

Very few names in the industry boast the same versatility across multiple languages as Madhavan. The key factor is however remains that he’s receptive to change and doesn’t fear exploring uncharted terrains - Vikram Vedha, Saala Khadoos, Maara and the Tanu Weds Manu franchise prove the same. He has an exciting set of projects lining up for release in the coming months too.

The actor, filmmaker will be a part of the cricket drama The Test (directed by Sashikanth) sharing screenspace alongside Siddharth, Nayanthara, Meera Jasmine and has also signed Vikas Bahl’s next Shaitan, which also stars Ajay Devgn, Jyothika. The latter is a remake of the Gujarati thriller Vash. Both films are expected to release in 2024.

Also read: 69th National Film Awards: R. Madhavan pens an extremely heartfelt note as Rocketry: The Nambi Effect wins the Best Film award 

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