Madhavan turns 50: Rare photos of the actor

Madhavan, fondly known as Maddy, has been making fans swoon for almost 25 years now. Having started his career by appearing in an ad in 1996, the actor has indeed come a long way since then. On his 50th birthday, here’s a look at some rare photos of the actor. (Express archive photo)

Before stepping into movies, Maddy acted in Hindi television serials like Banegi Apni Baat, Ghar Jamai, Saaya and Sea Hawks. (Express archive photo)

Before his breakthrough in Mani Ratnam’s Alaipayuthey (2000), Maddy actually made his acting debut with a Kannada film titled Shanti Shanti Shanti in 1998. The film was a dud. (Express archive photo)

Maddy became popular due to his “chocolate boy” looks and cemented his place as a romantic hero after the success of films like Alaipayuthey, Minnale and Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein among more. (Express archive photo)

Despite being typecast, Maddy proved his acting mettle by taking on varied roles. He received praise for his performance in movies like Mani Ratnam's Kannathil Muthamittal and Sundar C’s Anbe Sivam, where he acted alongside Kamal Haasan. (Express archive photo)

In a career spanning over two decades, the actor has played the lead in both Tamil and Hindi films, and has worked with several prominent names like Mani Ratnam, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Nishikant Kamat, Rajkumar Hirani, Aanand L Rai, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Hassan and Naseeruddin Shah among others. (Express archive photo)

Madhavan seems to have no trouble adapting with the times. The actor made his foray into the OTT space with the release of Amazon Prime Original web series Breathe in 2018. The same year, he also made his Telugu debut with Savyasachi (2018). He will also be donning the director’s hat for the first time in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, a biopic on rocket scientist Nambi Narayanan. (Express archive photo)

Madhavan married Sarita in 1999. They are proud parents of son Vedaant. (Express archive photo)

Despite being popular for his good-looks, Madhavan is quite open about embracing his age. In an interview, he was quoted saying, “I am not scared of age at all. I embrace it. Nobody can hide it. And if you are hiding age, then it means you are insecure.” (Express archive photo)