Two weeks after its release, Madhavan’s Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is garnering all the praise from the stalwarts of the industry after winning the hearts of the audience and critics alike. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say, this one is a massive success.
The one-man army who pulled this movie has proved himself to be a mastermind with the success of his latest creation and everybody including India’s most underrated scientist, Nambi Narayanan.
Helmed, penned and produced by the versatile actor himself, ‘Rocketry’ scorched the screens with fiery collections worldwide when it was released on 1st July 2022. The movie is released in a wide-ranging reach of languages including Tamil, English, Kannada, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam.
The biographical drama is based on the real-life story of Nambi Narayanan, a legendary Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist who was falsely accused of spying and imprisoned in 1994.
Following the release of his latest directorial debut, promotions are in full swing and Madhavan has been actively going around the world including Malaysia to promote his film.
During a recent meet and greet session which was held in Malaysia, Madhavan in an interview with Varnam Malaysia spoke about his first directorial venture, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect.
Madhavan had to undergo a physical transformation and wear various looks in order to play Nambi’s character at various ages in the film. In response to a query, Maddy revealed that he didn’t break his jaw as what was mentioned on social media. To change the alignment of the teeth, he had to break the bridge.
“I was actually doing that to look like a guy who looks much better than me,” he said noting that his supportive wife had no complaints rather than being proud of his unwavering dedication.
Further speaking about the film, Madhavan said completing this film is like giving birth to triplets, referring to the multi-roles he held in implementing this film. Talking about what and how he felt before the pre-release of his first directorial film, the versatile actor expressed his exhaustion from being excited and nervous because of the number of roles and works he had played for this film, it can eventually be said that he feels relieved as the D-day approaches.
What prompted Madhavan to take upon the directorial debut path by yielding Padma Bhushan Nambi Narayanan’s life story?
As we all are aware, Nambi Narayanan was arrested for falsely being charged with espionage and imprisoned in 1994, and also went through abusive torture during this time. Noting that, Madhavan said this factor pushed him to delve more into who Nambi Narayanan was.
“When I found out who he was, I knew the purpose of spearheading this into a film,” he expressed saying that he wanted to tell the world we have an extraordinary patriot and achiever like Nambi Narayanan whose contribution to the country is not known, and what he did for India and how we are benefiting from it.
“Any man getting accused for a false reason, by itself is a tragedy. But if you take someone like Nambi Narayanan and put him there in that situation after what he has achieved and done for the country, then you know you’re in trouble,” the 52-year-old actor mentioned adding that the nation had to stand back and re-think how they treat their people, especially those who have the ability to take the country forward in leaps and bounds.
Madhavan revealed what the real Nambi Narayanan had to say about the movie.
Nambi Narayanan sir said: ” Maddy, many people are going to be envious and some are going to be angry. But since what we show is without any fabrication, I feel proud of it. And I’m eagerly waiting for the audience’s reaction.
For his debutant film, Madhavan is seen juggling multi roles on the set. Expressing how he experiences the transition from one role to another role he added, “I rather enjoy being an actor than directing.”
“I was so immersed in the project that I couldn’t think more about it. While everyone has been prepared for the shoot while I was going by instinct. I would actually sometimes not even see the clips of my acting, I will say move on since I got to deliver what I have wanted” he shared saying there is no method when it comes to changing into a different role.
Besides, this dedicated actor shared one of his grateful experiences during the movie’s shooting.
“One of the experiences that we had was during a scene in this film where Nambi sir is seen apologising to his wife” he said.
We usually brief the entire team about what we are about to do before the shoot begins. There were 200 junior artists present during the scene and we provide them with a quick brief of the dos and don’ts when we were live-recording the sound.
“For example like, I requested them to sellotape their bangles during the shoot, so that when they’re moving, the sound doesn’t capture. Some told me that it’s not necessary for the briefing session stating that it’s a waste of time. But I didn’t listen to all of that,” Madhavan says.
He said everyone who participated in the scene listened to the advice and performed their parts by doing a fantastic job.
“Although the shoot for this specific scene had been planned to last all day, it was completed in only two hours. I was pleased and grateful to them,” he said applauding his junior artists’ understanding.
Madhavan also deliberated about the cancel culture as well as internet trolls and his way of dealing with them.
Addressing the cancel culture, Maddy said “There are millions who are using Twitter, and it’s not even 1.7% of the population. There is the rest of the population, who don’t want to cancel you. They want to encourage you for your choices, orientation, sexuality and more. The world accepts you,”
“However, if you focus on a single area where negativity is harbouring, that’s what your life will become. Furthermore, nowadays people underestimate the value of interpersonal interaction,” he said advising everyone should implement more interaction in the real world rather than being pinned up in the digital world.
He also added that if you want to get over the cancel culture, just leave it and distance yourself from your phone. “I also don’t get offended and angry looking at the trolls. Sometimes when it gets really abusive, you just block them,” Maddy expressed how he ignores all the negativity.
Watch the exclusive interview with actor Madhavan here!
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