Madhavan's father, Ranganathan, worked at a private firm, while his mother, Saroja, worked at a bank. (Credit: Facebook/@RMadhavans)Actor-filmmaker R Madhavan’s cinematic journey is solid proof that talent and hard work will never go unnoticed and that they can take one to great heights, even without any godfathers in the industry. His father, Ranganathan, worked at a private firm, while his mother, Saroja, worked at a bank, and Madhavan had no prior connections to Tinseltown. Yet, he went on to become a national heartthrob in his younger days and later one of the finest character actors in the country.In a recent interview, he took a trip down memory lane, recalling his childhood and noting that many of his neighbours back then had written him and his sister off, assuming they would never succeed in life. This assumption stemmed from the fact that both their parents were employed and supposedly had little time to care for the children.Must Read | Gurmeet Choudhary survived on Rs 36 a day, now owns Rs 16 cr home and dream farmhouseMadhavan further shared that those around them constantly made his parents feel guilty about being employed. He, however, pointed out that the double income, in fact, helped him follow his dreams.‘Neighbours thought we were done’: Madhavan on his childhood“I was a product of a double-income family with two children. I was born in Jamshedpur. Back then, being an engineer or a doctor was the be-all and end-all. However, I was not very good at academics. People think I’m an engineer, but I’m not. I am a BSc Electronics guy who barely earned the pass marks,” he recalled during an interview with M9 News.He continued, “Since both my parents were working, and nobody was taking care of me or doing my homework — and both my sister and I mostly just played wildly on the ground — everybody in my society thought we two were done. They assumed we would never succeed in life. My parents were constantly made to feel guilty that they’re both working and ‘neglecting’ the children.”ICYMI | All about BS Dhanoa: The real-life IAF officer played by Jimmy Shergill in Operation Safed SagarStory continues below this adHow double-income parents enabled international opportunities for himHowever, Madhavan’s parents seldom paid attention to such criticisms and followed their own path. “They were made to feel guilty, with people asking, ‘How can you give importance to work over your children?’ But I think it’s because both of them were employed that I got the experiences that I did. We were able to afford my trips as an exchange student and the scholarships to other countries. Such opportunities transformed me and made me who I am compared to the rest of the people in my society. So, I’m very glad that both my parents were working, and they both set the right example for me,” he added.Madhavan was most recently seen in director Krishnakumar Ramakumar’s GDN, where he played the titular role. The movie also featured Sathyaraj, Jayaram, Priyamani, Dushara Vijayan, and Vinay Rai in key roles.