Actor R. Madhavan recently opened up about a memorable moment with renowned filmmaker Mani Ratnam, with whom he has shared a long-standing professional relationship. In a conversation with India TV, Madhavan recounted an incident that occurred during the casting process of Ratnam’s 2004 political drama Aayitha Ezhuthu.
According to Madhavan, Ratnam initially wanted him to portray the role of Arjun Balakrishnan, a character later played by Siddharth. However, upon hearing the full script, Madhavan expressed a strong preference for the role of Inba, which was eventually portrayed by actor Bharath.
“I told him I wanted to play Inba because, in my opinion, it was the best-written character in the story. I felt the other roles might not be remembered as much,” Madhavan shared. He admitted that his candid feedback unintentionally offended Ratnam.
Determined to prove he could convincingly portray the darker, more intense role of Inba, Madhavan requested a month to prepare. “I shaved my head, played golf without sunscreen to get a deep tan, and transformed myself until I was completely unrecognisable,” he explained.
When he visited Ratnam’s office in this new look, security guards failed to recognise him and initially stopped him from entering. Even Ratnam did not realise it was Madhavan until he burst out laughing, recognising his voice.
The actor noted that his motivation for taking on the role of Inba stemmed from a desire to move away from his usual romantic-hero image.
Source / Image Credit: Times of India , Mid-day, Aayitha Ezhuthu (2004)