5 min readMumbaiMay 3, 2026 08:48 AM IST
Actor R Madhavan, who was last seen in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, is considered one of the most down-to-earth actors in Bollywood. Delivering the best performances in his projects, R Madhavan usually stays away from public attention to a great extent. Back in 2024, during a conversation with Ranveer Allahbadia, the actor had explained that this approach also had a lot to do with his South Indian upbringing. Madhavan had also spoken about being a parent and all the attention his son Vedant has been getting.
R Madhavan on South Indian upbringing
Discussing how humility is at the core of South Indian upbringing, R Madhavan shared, “It’s just that you don’t start dwelling in your small achievements and accomplishments too much. They will be far wealthier than they ever show, and they will be far more accomplished than they ever behave. Showing off is not intrinsically a part of their life. I have grown up in Jamshedpur; the Tatas are like that, they are not even South Indian. I think the middle-class attitude is the best attitude for survival. You have transience of nature, and life keeps you humble; you have situational awareness, and you are open to seeing all the changes that will come your way. I think it’s very important.”
Looking back at his childhood, Madhavan also shared, “I had the most blessed childhood; it had all its challenges and trauma. My dad was very sure that he didn’t want to make me grow up privileged. He spent the money at the right places. I was not great in studies and was always compared to other people who were studying for so many hours. I was called the ‘shaitaan’ of the society. Mothers used to tell their kids don’t play with Balaji which is my pet name, because he is not a good guy. Since I climbed trees, pet stray dogs, and all the conditioning they thought was not right. Being judged adds a lot of trauma to you as a child. But trauma is a big word; it’s overexposed and overexploited. Stress will always be there, and you really have to hug it.”
R Madhavan on parenting
R Madhavan’s son Vedant is an accomplished swimmer and is often in the center of attention for being a celebrity’s child. Sharing how he and his wife look at it, R Madhavan says, “Yes, we are aware of all the memes made on my son. Sarita and I are not very pleased about it; we regret it because comparing a child to another child, at times, they don’t realize how much they hurt other people. Vedant gets compared to other kids in the industry; it is not something Sarita and I like, nor do we endorse it or acknowledge it. I am not going to take away from what Vedant has achieved. Being a celebrity’s child is not easy; he is going to get a lot more attention than most of his friends. I am aware of those memes, and it doesn’t make me feel pleased at all.”
He further added, “Even for Vedant to consider himself worthy of all this attention is stupidity. This spot doesn’t see whose son you are, and he is not the best in the country. Thankfully, my son is wise enough to understand all that. Sarita and I also keep explaining that there are pitfalls. We consciously try to tell him where he stands.”
He also spoke about being a parent to Gen Z and said, “They are far wiser than we ever were; they are not in a hurry. I am surprised at the frugal nature in which Gen Zs live. They don’t want to buy a car or houses, it is amazing how peaceful they look. His wisdom is far different from what we had as children.”
On the work front, R Madhavan was last seen in Kesari 2, De De Pyaar De 2, and Dhurandhar last year. In 2026, he was seen in Dhurandhar 2. According to a report in Sacnilk, Dhurandhar 2 has earned Rs 1782.15 crores worldwide so far. The film has emerged as the second-highest all-time grosser after Baahubali: The Conclusion.
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