I’m no Mani Ratnam to confidently make films in different genres: R Madhavan

Actor R Madhavan, who makes his directorial debut with the upcoming trilingual film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, is not sure about helming more projects immediately as he finds the process very exhausting.

Madhavan, who has written, directed and has also acted in Rocketry, also said that his wife wants him to focus on acting for now.

In the film, Madhavan plays Nambi Narayanan, a former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) scientist and aerospace engineer known for developing efficient liquid fuel engines and who later got embroiled in a spy scandal.

With the film due to be released in cinemas on 1 July, Madhavan is busy with the promotions. On Wednesday, he was in Chennai to meet the press to talk about the movie.

Asked if he plans to sit in the director's chair again, the artiste said, “I don’t think I have it in me to direct again. It’s an exhausting process and I have no immediate plans as such to direct. Even with Rocketry, since the original director attached to the film had to exit the project due to his prior commitments, I took up the mantle as I didn’t have time to approach anyone else. Mr Nambi believed in me and he pushed me to take up the job and I thought it was my duty to do it.”

He added, “My wife wants me to focus on acting for now. I’m no Mani Ratnam to confidently make films in different genres. I don’t think I can do it. If I have to direct again, then a story should really move me,” he added.

The Tamil version of Rocketry sees Suriya make a cameo. Madhavan said the Jai Bhim (2021) actor jumped at the opportunity.

“When I told Suriya that Shah Rukh ji was doing a small role in the Hindi version and that I wanted him to play the same role for the Tamil version, he immediately said he’d do it. When it came to shooting, Suriya flew down to Mumbai’s Mehboob Studio with his staff and shot for the scene. He booked his own flight tickets and didn’t even charge a penny for his work.”