Gautam Vasudev Menon reveals the time R Madhavan pressured him to pitch his film to Mani Ratnam; admits ‘I despised…’
Gautam Vasudev Menon recently made headlines for his comments about R Madhavan. The renowned filmmaker shared a story about an awkward encounter he had with Mani Ratnam because of the actor from Shaitaan. Menon mentioned that he ‘hated’ Madhavan for pressuring him to narrate his script to Mani Ratnam.
When Gautam Vasudev Menon was pressured by R Madhavan
Popular actor R Madhavan and acclaimed director Gautam Vasudev Menon collaborated on the successful film Minnale and its Hindi remake in 2001. Menon recently recounted an incident where Madhavan put him in an uncomfortable position in front of his mentor.
To mark Mani Ratnam’s 68th birthday, O2india released a video dedicated to the director of Ponniyin Selvan. The video featured Menon talking about Ratnam, whom he considers his mentor.
The director also recalled when Madhavan insisted on him narrating the script of Minnale to Mani Ratnam.
Sharing the experience, Menon said, “Madhavan made me narrate my first script Minnale to Mani sir. He said, ‘If Mani sir approves, the project is a go.’ I was not thrilled about this and felt anxious as I looked up to Mani Ratnam. Despite my nervousness, I managed to narrate my story and the film came to life.”
In another interview, Menon mentioned that Mani Ratnam was not initially impressed by Minnale. However, Madhavan showed empathy and agreed to work on the project with Menon.
For those unfamiliar, Minnale was Menon’s directorial debut starring R Madhavan, Abbas, and Reema Sen. The film, released in 2001, was a commercial success. Menon also remade it in Hindi as Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein in the same year.
Interestingly, the Hindi remake featured R Madhavan alongside Saif Ali Khan and Dia Mirza. The film was also remade in Kannada ten years later as Mr Duplicate.
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