R. Madhavan
The Tamil and Hindi film actor known as Maddy, whose film Rocketry won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
R. Madhavan, known to fans as “Maddy”, has worked in Tamil and Hindi films for nearly thirty years, and more recently behind the camera too. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Maharashtra [1].
Before films
Madhavan was born on 1 June 1970 [2]. He went to school in Jamshedpur and earned a degree in electronics from Rajaram College, Kolhapur [2]. As a young man he was a national-level athlete, went to Canada as a Rotary youth exchange cultural ambassador, and trained with the British armed forces in England through the NCC [2].
Screen career
He started on television, with more than 1,200 episodes, before moving to films [2]. He has acted in more than 75 films in Tamil, Hindi and other languages [2]. In Tamil his best-known films include Alaipayuthey, Anbe Sivam and Vikram Vedha; in Hindi, 3 Idiots, Rang De Basanti and Tanu Weds Manu [2]. He was also among the first mainstream film stars to take on long-form web series, such as Breathe and The Railway Men [2].
His first film as director, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, and earned him the IIFA award for best director [2].
Other roles
Since 2023 he has headed the society that runs the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) as its president [2]. He has also set up organic hydroponic farming in Mumbai and turned barren land in Tamil Nadu into a coconut farm [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for R. Madhavan — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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