THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “My autobiography would not span more than 3-4 pages,” Madhu quipped, when TNIE sought to know why he had not penned one yet. By harbouring no regrets, he is at peace with himself. The veteran actor, who turns a nonagenarian on Saturday, has always stayed away from the limelight of the silver screen, despite being one of its biggest romantic heroes!
“Most of my wishes were granted by the time I turned 50 years,” Madhu had said in a recent interaction. As someone who has never been keen on celebrating birthdays, he joked that the concept of ‘ayushman bhava’ is more of a curse than a blessing, adding that he was seriously considering booking a hospital bed just to avoid a birthday bash.
“My life, until I became an actor, has been published. My later life is known to all, better than I do myself. There’s no reason to pen an autobiography. It would only be a repetition of what’s already out there. There’s nothing about me that people don’t already know,” he said.
A product of the National School of Drama, Madhu was one of the lead actors in the 1969 Hindi film Saat Hindustani -- which marked the debut of Amitabh Bachchan. A veteran of more than 370 films, Madhu was able to carve a niche for himself at a time when legends like Sathyan and Prem Nazir reigned supreme. Madhu remembers Nazir as a great human being and good actor, while Sathyan was more like a brother.
Despite being an established actor, Madhu was never concerned about being overshadowed by the two legends.
“During those days, Prem Nazir-Madhu and Sathyan-Madhu combinations were very popular. I usually played second fiddle to them. They always encouraged me and we never competed against each other,” Madhu had said. He was more an actor’s actor, never obsessed with playing the protagonist. Madhu has also directed 12 movies, in addition to producing 15.
For veteran actress Sharada, he is still her favourite co-star. “Can’t believe Madhu sir is turning 90. An established name in the industry and a very good human being, he’s done some exceptional characters. I hope he lives to be 100,” Sharada told TNIE, adding that she still keeps in touch with her Swayamvaram co-star.
Madhu spent a good part of Thursday responding to the greetings of well-wishers, including Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian. A couple of celebratory events have been scheduled for Saturday.