R Madhavan has showcased his versatality with every project, working predominantly in Tamil and Hindi cinema. The actor, who has been actively working in the industry for more than 25 years, has embraced OTT medium as well. In the last few years, he has featured in theatrical – Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022) and Shaitaan (2024), as well as OTT projects, Breathe and The Railway Men (2023) and now, Hisaab Barabar. Now, in an interview with SCREEN, Madhavan opened up about his experience of working in the digital medium and how he still faces the pressure of box office numbers with theatrical releases.
During the conversation, Madhavan emphasised how the streaming content gives more freedom to actors to explore character driven projects. “OTT gives better character driven stories because we have to compensate for the lack of the big screen. If you are putting your content out on OTT, then justify that to me. I have been very fortunate that all the work that I’ve done on OTT, hit a chord. Some things also require the eight episodes to tell the story,” he said.
The actor further added, “For example, Hisbaab Barabar has the content and character but not the grandeur to be on the large screen so I can’t justify it. Hence, the medium in which the story is selecting and is going to be presented is really important for me.”
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When asked if OTT is more liberating because of zero pressure of box office numbers, he says, “Thank God for that. I get nervous by the hour when I am closer to a release. In fact, the two most horrifying moments for me in my career are when I have to do the first day of shoot, it is getting progressively difficult. And second, the first day of publicity and release, because everybody looks at you and I feel everyone is saying, ‘Nuhuh, you have lost it, that’s it, game over’.”
“It’s not easy to survive for 25 years in an industry like this, where people become obsolete in 25 months. And to be able to do main leads, I am very grateful for that. It’s the words of encouragement from people that keep me going, otherwise I would have been a lost soul by now.”
Madhavan also talked about his approach towards choosing projects. He shared, “It’s always the subject and the intent behind making the film that makes me pick it. Sometimes, you get films that are nicely set up with the right actors, team and price. But, that doesn’t excite me. I try and do things that really excite me so that the days I spend making that film are rewarding. If you look at the last ten projects of mine, they are all content-driven stories of common man and the courage that a common man takes to become a real life hero. And, I have always been a fan of the silent strength of a common man. Those films have really done well for me.”
R Madhavan is now gearing up for his upcoming release Hisaab Barabar. The actor will play the role of an honest ticket checker working for Indian Railways, who uncovers a huge financial fraud by banker Mickey Mehta (Neil Nitin Mukesh). Directed by Ashwani Dhir, the film also stars Kirti Kulhari. The thriller drama will premier on Zee 5 on January 24.
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