If there’s one person whom pretty much the entire Malayalam cinema considers the fraternity’s patriarch, it’s Madhu. Now almost 93, he has appeared in over 370 movies during a prolific career spanning six decades. Besides acting, Madhu has made significant contributions to the industry as a director, producer, and studio owner as well, prompting SCREEN to dub him “the juggernaut of Malayalam cinema” once.
Born on September 23, 1933, as Madhavan Nair, he was the eldest and only son among five children of Parameshwaran Pillai and Thankamma. After formal education, Madhavan took up a job as a Hindi lecturer. However, over time, he developed a deep interest in the performing arts and eventually landed in Tinseltown.
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Ever since his debut in director NN Pisharady’s Prem Nazir-Sheela starrer Ninamaninja Kalpadukal (1963), Madhavan hasn’t had to look back. It was veteran lyricist-director P Bhaskaran who rechristened Madhavan Nair as Madhu.
Unexpected reason behind Madhu’s departure from cinema
Although he hasn’t removed himself from public view completely, he no longer acts in movies, and the last film he worked on was director Santhosh Viswanath’s Mammootty-led One (2021). While many might think that he made the decision due to old age, Madhu recently revealed the real reason behind his departure from cinema.
Madhu with Sheela in Chemmeen. (Credit: madhutheactor.com)
Mentioning that he made the decision following a fall that left him with a wound, the acting legend revealed that, as a result, he even had to exit actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s directorial debut, Lucifer (2019), starring Mohanlal and Manju Warrier. He maintained that he acted in Mammootty’s One after he had officially retired from acting, solely at the latter’s insistence.
How a sudden injury cost Madhu his role in Mohanlal’s Lucifer
“I did the movie One after I had already stopped acting. After I agreed to act in Prithviraj’s Lucifer, I had a fall. Prithviraj had come here, and we had spoken; everything was finalised and I had already given my dates for the movie, but then this happened. During the fall, I hit the side of a washbasin and a part of my face was injured. Because of that, I couldn’t go for the shoot,” he told YouTube channel Editoreal during an interview.
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Madhu with Kamal Haasan in Eetta. (Credit: madhutheactor.com)
Madhu continued, “At that moment, a thought arose within me: ‘Stop it… enough with acting.’ The main reason was that, over time, all I was receiving were father roles. If I asked them what the character was, the answer would be ‘so-and-so’s father.’ When it reached that stage, I felt that I had enough of this ‘father business.’ If you ask them why I should be the father, the response would be, ‘well, the villains have to kill or do something to this father so that the hero can come in at the end, fight them all, win applause, and end the movie.’ Basically, a father is there just so the hero has someone to fight for in the climax. It was while I was contemplating whether to continue acting or not that the fall happened.”
When Mammootty convinced him to step out of retirement
“At that point, I said, ‘Enough, I am not acting anymore.’ The movie One happened a few years after all this. Mammootty came to my house. He said, ‘It is my deep wish that you act in this film. From the moment this movie was conceived, the director and I had it in our minds that you should play this role. I don’t see anyone else for this role.’ So, I said, ‘Okay, fine.’ One evening at 6 pm, they came and picked me up, and by 9 pm, they dropped me back. That is how I ended up acting in One,” Madhu recalled.
Madhu, along with Mammootty, Bharat Gopy, and Karamana Janardanan Nair, during the formation of AMMA in 1994. (Credit: madhutheactor.com)
The veteran actor is best known for his performances in movies such as Swayamvaram, Olavum Theeravum, Bhargavi Nilayam, Chemmeen, Murappennu, Archana, Ummachu, Naduvazhikal, Padayottam, Ithiripoove Chuvannapoove, Aparan, Lal Salam, Malappuram Haji Mahanaya Joji, Simhavalan Menon, Varnapakittu, Ezhupunna Tharakan, Chathikkatha Chanthu, Naran, Hallo, Kaaryasthan, and Spirit, among others. For the unversed, Bollywood’s “Shahenshah” Amitabh Bachchan made his acting debut alongside Madhu in Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’ Saat Hindustani (1969).
Madhu being felicitated by Mohanlal, Mammootty, Kamal Haasan, and others at the centenary celebrations of Indian cinema in Chennai. (Credit: madhutheactor.com)
Besides acting, Madhu has directed 12 films, including Priya, Sindooracheppu, Sathi, Kaamam Krodham Moham, Theekkanal, and Aaradhana. He has also produced a handful of movies, including a couple that he helmed. Madhu was also the owner of the once-renowned Uma Studio in Thiruvananthapuram, making him the first Malayalam actor to own a studio.
