R Madhavan has often described his career as one built on defying expectations and has spoken about the stereotypes he faced when he entered the film industry. In an old interview, the actor recalled how he was told that his television background, marriage and Tamil identity would stop him from succeeding in films.During a conversation at an event at the Indian School of Business, Madhavan explained why he never believed that conventional industry wisdom should dictate an actor’s choices.“The rate of success of films is less than 7 pecent. There is no reason that one should look at it in the traditional industry sense, which also means that every norm that is being created, every stereotype and rule that is being talked about is irrelevant till you are able to prove otherwise,” he said.Madhavan’s journey from 1,800 TV episodes to becoming a film starMadhavan’s own career became an example of that belief. Before establishing himself in films, he had already appeared in around 1,800 episodes of television in shows like Ghar Jamai, Sea Hawks among others. That extensive TV exposure was considered a disadvantage when he wanted to make the transition to films.“When I joined the film industry, I had already done 1,800 episodes on television, and everybody in the TV industry said, ‘You are so overexposed. You will never become a film actor.’ I thought, I never came to be an actor in the first place. I am a very reluctant actor. I never came to Mumbai to act. I have never been to acting school. It just happened by the way, and I ended up doing 1,800 episodes,” he recalled.ALSO READ: 21 years after he beat Arijit Singh, Qazi Touqeer admits he ‘didn’t sing well’ on Fame Gurukul“They said, ‘You are overexposed. You will never do a film in your life.’ And then, lo and behold, I got a call from Mani Ratnam and did a Tamil film, Alaipayuthey.”Story continues below this adDirected by Mani Ratnam, Alaipayuthey released in 2000 and marked a major turning point in Madhavan’s career. The film established him as a leading man in Tamil cinema and became an important part of his journey from television to films. Madhavan with his wife Sarita Birje and son Vedaant. (Photo: Instagram/Madhavan)Madhavan recalls being asked to hide his marriage before AlaipayutheyBut even after landing a debut with one of Tamil cinema’s most celebrated filmmakers, Madhavan said he was told that he would not be accepted as a Tamil romantic hero because of his appearance and because he was already married.“When I did a Tamil film, they said, ‘They will never accept you in the Tamil film industry. You are fair, more of a North Indian boy.’ And they told me, ‘You are doing a romantic film. You will never be accepted as a romantic hero because they don’t like married romantic heroes,’” he said.According to Madhavan, the publicity team even advised him not to speak about his marriage during the film’s promotions.Story continues below this ad“So the publicity department came and told me, ‘Maddy, when you do the press conference, don’t talk about your marriage. We know you got married six months before the release of your film. Don’t talk to the media about your marriage because then the film will flop,’” he recalled.Madhavan said he then approached Mani Ratnam because he was uncomfortable with being asked to hide the truth.“So I went to Mani sir and said, ‘They are asking me to lie.’ He said, ‘Do whatever you want.’ I think it was an insult to him that just because the hero is married, a Mani Ratnam film will flop. That is not the right picture,” Madhavan said.At the subsequent press conference, the actor said the first question he was asked was about his marriage.Story continues below this ad“As expected, the first question they asked me was, ‘Sir, I believe you are married and your wife is here. Are you confident that you will be accepted as a romantic hero by the audience?’”Madhavan chose not to deny his marriage or distance himself from his wife, Sarita Birje, who was present at the event.“I said, ‘I have come here as an actor and I am portraying a character. But I cannot ignore this woman who is beside me, whom I married, and pretend that she doesn’t exist just because of this. That is really humiliating. I am really sorry if I don’t become a romantic hero. That is fine. But I want to say that I am willing to take that risk rather than disrespect my wife,’” he recalled.Madhavan said the interview went viral.“That interview went viral and there was immediate acceptance, and that norm that traditionally a married romantic hero wouldn’t work was completely broken,” he said.Story continues below this adMadhavan on being told he was ‘too Tamil’ for Hindi filmsAfter establishing himself as a Tamil actor, Madhavan said he was told that he would not be able to successfully make the transition to Hindi cinema because audiences would see him primarily as a Tamil star.“Similarly, when they said, ‘Now you are a Tamil hero. You won’t be able to do Hindi films because you are so Tamil,’ then RHTDM happened, 3 Idiots happened, Guru happened. So that myth also got broken,” he said.Madhavan made his Hindi-film debut with Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein in 2001, a film that went on to develop a cult following. He later appeared in films such as Rang De Basanti, Guru and 3 Idiots, further establishing himself across industries.