Madhavan Balaji Ranganathan, better known mononymously as Madhavan and adoringly called 'Maddy' is a prominent Indian film celebrity. He has been an actor, producer and writer for several films in a number of languuages. Although he has predominantly worked with Tamil cinema, Madhavan is also well known for many of his Hindi films, which were popular among audiences and critics. He has delivered excellent performances in award winning films like Rang De Basanti (2006) and 3 Idiots (2009). Born on 1 June 1976 in a Tamil household in Bihar, Madhavan’s family had no background in film. In fact, Madhavan himself was involved in a number of activities, including representing India as a cultural ambassador, being a leading NCC cadet, a teacher of public speaking, and even a stint at modelling. But the multi talented man finally found his calling as an actor after he worked in a number of Hindi serials.

He made his film debut with the English movie Inferno (1997), where he played a supporting role. He went on to perform in his first Indian film Shanti Shanti Shanti (1998) which was in Kannada. But it did not do well or bring the actor to the limelight. His major breakthrough came with the film Alaipayuthey (2000), in which Madhavan invested much time and energy to understanding the various technicalities involved in film making, besides playing the lead role in it. His efforts paid off and the film was a massive success both critically and commercially.

His next big success came with Minnale (2001) which established himself as a romantic hero. This film was so well acclaimed that it was remade in Hindi, once again starring Madhavan for whom this became a trademark role. The film was titled Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001). Starring alongside Diya Mirza, Madhavan became a sensation even amongst the Hindi film circuits.

His other acclaimed films in Tamil include Dumm Dumm Dumm (2001), Run (2002), Anbe Sivam (2003), Aethiree (2004), Thambi (2006), Evano Oruvan (2007), Vaazhthugal (2008), Yavarum Nalam (2009), and Manmadan Ambu (2010).

Amidst his South Indian films, Madhavan acted in several acclaimed Hindi films that established him as a noteworthy pan Indian actor. Some of his works in Hindi include Dil Vil Pyar Vyar (2002), Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008), 13B (2009), Sikandar (2009) and Teen Patti (2010). He delivered spectacular performances in Tanu Weds Manu (2011) and Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015), once again cementing himself as an actor in the romantic lead. His latest release, Iruthi Suttru (2016), which was also released in Hindi as Saala Khadoos (2016) was also a hit that showcased his fine talent.