R Madhavan on his 4-Year hiatus: 'I realized the mistake I was making'

R Madhavan has opened up about the four-year break he took mid-career because he was not happy with the work he was doing. Madhavan was recently seen in Dhurandhar and will also be part of the sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which hits theatres on March 19. While the actor is now seen in several films and OTT series, Madhavan opened up recently in an interview about a time when he was not happy with the work he was getting.

R Madhavan on his four-year break

While speaking on Unfiltered Entertainment’s YouTube talk show, R Madhavan explained what led him to take a sabbatical. The actor stated he was ‘disillusioned with work’. He recalled how, while shooting in Switzerland for a Tamil song, he once noticed a Swiss farmer looking at him with complete disdain, seemingly wondering what they were doing, while sipping on a cup of tea.

"I was really offended, but then it struck me suddenly. I am literally dancing to other people’s tunes. I am a public speaker, I know how to handle a gun, fly remote planes, ride horses, I do so many things. I am showing none of it in my movies. The only thing I was trying to do was to woo the audience, which will make me a superstar. I realised the mistake I was doing.”

The actor recalled that it was his wife who noticed his unhappiness at work.

He said, "One day, my wife asked me, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ She said that you are going for work like you want to come back from it. That actually made a lot of sense. So, I took a break. I wanted to understand where the country was going. I even stopped doing ad films, grew a beard, and travelled a lot around Chennai and other places in India. I talked to rickshaw guys, what really matters to them, what’s the real cost of stuff that bothers them. That insight for four years is probably what I’m eating off right now.”

Also see: Dhurandhar 2 teaser out: Ranveer Singh's Hamzaquest for revenge begins | Watch

Post break, Madhavan realised the directors he was working with were not as forward-thinking as him, which led him to search for new collaborators who would understand what he is looking for in projects.

Madhavan returned to the screen in 2016 and went on to deliver critically acclaimed performances and hits such as Vikram Vedha, Shaitaan, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, Kesari Chapter 2 and most recently Dhurandhar.

R Madhavan in Dhurandhar: The Revenge

On Tuesday, makers unveiled the first poster and teaser of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which is the sequel of Dhurandhar. The film will have Madhavan reprising his role as Ajay Sanyal, Director of the IB (based on Ajit Doval). Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna will all be back in part 2.

The film is scheduled to clash with Yash’s Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-ups on March 19 and will release in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, unlike the first film, which released only in Hindi.