R Madhavan on receiving doctorate & feeling surreal

Actor R. Madhavan continues to be absolute goals for one and all out there. From ageing like a fine wine to impressing one and all with his wit, Madhavan has been amazing. And now, he added another feather to his absolutely illustrious cap where he has now received a doctorate {Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.)} for his outstanding contribution to arts and cinema by DY Patil Education Society, Kolhapur, at their ninth convocation ceremony.

Talking about this experience with SpotboyE, Madhavan said, “It was surreal. My only regret was that my wife Sarita and my son Vedant couldn’t accompany me to the event.  I missed them in my golden moment. As I sat there hearing them say such wonderful things about me and my career, I was transported to my student days in  Kolhapur. In the hostel, I had to do everything myself, even heat the water for a bath. This, for someone who lived life like a  king in Canada, was unbearable. When  I look back  I see   that experience in self-actualization as essential to my growth.”

He added, “As they so lovingly spoke about my achievements,  I  could only see everything in my life as serendipitous. I never planned anything. And very often  I did things without any idea of the outcome. Sometimes no fear of the darkness is ignorance rather than bravery. I took the plunge into television, then  Tamil cinema then Hindi cinema not knowing how it would all pan out. Now here I am holding a D Litt  in my hands.”

Interestingly, only amongst the likes of Lata Mangeshkar and Kamal Hassan have received this doctorate and talking about it, “Even to be mentioned in the same breath as these two is a great honour for me. When actors like us get honoured with doctorates I wish the image of showbiz personalities as intellectually challenged frivolous dimwits would end. To a large extent, we are ourselves responsible for not being taken seriously. Some of us constantly stress and project the glamorous side of our lives. As though being an actor is fun and games. In reality, there are so many actors and films that have influenced the lives of millions. Look at the work Sonu Sood is doing. It’s awesome. Films like Rang De Basanti and  3 Idiots have changed the way we look at life. I am proud to say I  was part of  both.”

Talking about his future projects, Madhavan said, “This year you will see me as a  director in Rocketry: The  Nambi Effect where I  direct and star in a biopic on space scientist  Nambi Narayanan. Besides this, I will continue to explore the darkness. I am not afraid to  stumble  and  fall.”

We certainly cannot wait to see Madhavan in anything he stars in, isn't it?