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
I hail from a small town, Jamshedpur. From childhood, I've been constantly surrounded by people who are not so urban.
I always believe that the elders in my family are the reason for my success.
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.
I'm a Gemini, and my attention span is limited. So, I don't dwell on long-term goals.
One needs to be super intelligent and have an above-average IQ to be able to work in movies.
Making six-pack abs for no reason doesn't make sense. When you are young, it is possible.
Nobody is in the world should be deprived of the joys of eating.
My assistants will bear testimony to the fact that I am a very angry man.
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.
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.
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.
I would prefer to work for directors who give me the script and written screenplay at the outset.
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.
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.
All of us wish for a dignity that commands respect. But few have it.
I don't want to buy a jet plane. I don't want to live with an entourage.
I value my independence a lot, and the thought of having to lose that due to age or any other reason terrifies me.
Sequels face the risk of being constantly compared to the first film.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I have found out what I am allergic to, and I am trying to avoid that in my daily food intake.
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.
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.
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.
If I could, I would like my son to study in Jamshedpur, where I did my schooling.
I am not someone who would raise my voice to seek publicity. I am a responsible citizen, and I continue to be so.
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.
I am an extremely selfless but, at the same time, supremely confident actor.
A loverboy's shelf life is very limited.
I think Anand Rai is one of the few brilliant directors we have.
Whenever you have chemistry on-screen, then you have to be very attracted to the person.
Success, or the lack of it, has a way to make you realise what your boundaries are.
All great scripts need not reach silver screen, and every good story can't be narrated in a 2-hour film.
Films are my life; I don't think there is anything that I would not do for the sake of the movie.
If I hadn't been part of '3 Idiots,' I would have felt bloody jealous.
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.
When I do a film, I try and see how in tune I am with the director.
I dislike the trait of ungratefulness.
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.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I am no more the 'chocolate boy.' Still, romance is always going to be a part of my life.
