R Madhavan is an actor who has constantly reinvented himself with the changing times whether in Tamil or Hindi cinema. His recent film Irudhi Suttru proved that that he has grown into an actor who is comfortable not taking centre-stage in a film and yet walking away with a lot of praise. In fact, he recently told IANS, "Everyone keeps on telling me that heroines have a role of greater importance in my films that they even walk away with awards (hinting at National Film Awards). But the point is that I don’t select films on that basis." Here is a quick look at some of his best films in Tamil.
Alaipayuthey
This Mani Ratnam film which came out in 2000 is a classic. It’s about a young couple played by Madhavan and Shalini and the film takes us through their romance. The story is beautifully told and the songs by A R Rahman are a major highlight of the film as is the cinematography. In fact, Madhavan went on to win Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South in that year while Rahman won Best Music Director. Madhavan as a young romantic chocolate boy had arrived!
Watch Maddy in this film:
.
Minnale
Director Gautham Menon made his directorial debut with Minnale starring Madhavan and Reema Sen in 2001. The movie catapulted Maddy to stardom and his image as the young romantic hero was reinforced. The music for this film by Harris Jayaraj is still played on the airwaves and the movie was a blockbuster.
Maddy in the Minnale college scene:
.
Kannathil Muthamittal
In 2002, Mani Ratnam chose Madhavan, or Maddy as he is fondly called, again to play the lead in his film Kannathil Muthamittal. Actress Simran played the lead opposite him while child actor P S Keerthana was the other lead. Maddy and Simran adopt Keerthana from Sri Lanka. Then the young girl wants to meet her biological mother and they travel to Sri Lanka during the civil war. It’s a touching story that struck a chord with many people and went on to win six National Awards numerous international ones. Maddy had proved that he could play a dad at his young age and come out on top. Today, Maddy considers Mani Ratnam his mentor and guru.
Watch a scene from this film:
.
Run
In this movie directed by Lingusamy, we see Maddy turn into an action hero for the first time. This movie also came out in 2002 and was one of the biggest box-office hits of the year. Vidya Balan was supposed to make debut in Tamil with this film but it was finally Meera Jasmine who bagged the role. Maddy proved that his chocolate boy image is just one aspect of him and that he can be the angry young man when required on screen. This film was a turning point in his career.
Watch Maddy in the best fight scene:
.
Anbe Sivam
Kamal Haasan and Maddy have developed a good friendship post this 2003 film that was directed by Sundar C. Kamal Haasan wrote the film’s story and screenplay which revolves around themes like communism, atheism, and altruism. The movie is today a cult film in Tamil cinema and continues to be spoken about. While it may not have done well at the box office, the movie and its lead actors went on to win many awards. Madhavan won Best Actor at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards – 2003 while Filmfare Award for Best Actor went to Kamal Haasan.
Watch Maddy and Kamal in this poignant scene:
.
