R Madhavan Calls Age-Inapt Roles ‘Cringe’: ‘I Was Sh**ting Bricks During 3 Idiots’ | Exclusive
R Madhavan talks about why he decided to do Aap Jaisa Koi with Fatima Sana Shaikh and lauds Hollywood for their disregard for 50-year-old actors playing teenagers.
Fresh off the success of Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story Of Jallianwala Bagh, R Madhavan will next be seen in Karan Johar’s Aap Jaisa Koi, which will mark their second collaboration. The teaser of the film grabbed a lot of attention as it brings the actor back to the romance genre after many years. The romantic drama starring Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh that delves into the lives of a Sanskrit professor and a French professor has already piqued the curiosity of fans for its portrayal of an age-appropriate love story.
Now, in an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Madhavan reveals what drew him to the film, the subject of which can also prove to be tricky. “I chose Aap Jaisa Koi because it’s about age-appropriate casting. I’m playing a 48-year-old guy in it, who for some strange reason gets into a relationship with a 28-year-old girl. Whether that sort of love is justified or not and whether it’s workable or not is the question we’ll be exploring in the film," he tells us.
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According to the Vikram Vedha and Rocketry: The Nambi Effect actor, he wouldn’t want to downplay his age in films anymore as that makes him ‘cringe’. “I’m getting to play my age in the film, which is why I agreed to do the film, so that it’s not cringey for me either. To romance a 28-year-old girl and to believe that both the characters is hum-umar ke log is a bit too much for everybody," he states. Interestingly, last year, Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha where they were paired as romantic leads received appreciation for defying stereotypes.
Talking about how Hollywood is also batting for age-appropriate roles for actors, Madhavan remarks, “Even Hollywood doesn’t accept that anymore. There’s a complete disregard for two romantically involved characters with a big age difference. They don’t let a 50-year-old guy behave like a teenager and do all those teenage things. It’s cringe."
Squirming at the thought of playing a college student at 54, Madhavan exclaims, “Are you kidding me?" He recalls the time when he had to essay one in Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots and says that it made him uneasy. “I was sh**ting bricks when I was doing 3 Idiots as I was 40 years old at that time. Oh my god! It’s a miracle that we passed off as college students," says the actor, who’s currently shooting for De De Pyaar De 2, where he plays Rakul Preet Singh’s father.
Madhavan further adds, “But the funny part was when we went to the college and got into our attires, we were looking younger than the actual students there. That’s what gave us the confidence. Thankfully, Aamir (Khan), Sharman (Joshi) and I weren’t bald. Guys studying in that college were bald or had grey hair. We had to ask them if they’re students or professors. When they said that they’re students, we were like, ‘Achchi baat hai, bhai! Now we feel much younger.’"
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