KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Actor R. Madhavan, in his directorial debut, has set out to make a film to remind people about how important it is for a nation to recognise its unsung heroes.
And with his film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect — he manages to do just that.
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, the biopic of former Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO rocket scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was falsely accused of espionage and arrested in 1994, is currently playing on the big screens worldwide.
In addition to directing, Madhavan is also on board as writer, producer and lead actor.
Bollywood superstar Datuk Shahrukh Khan and Tamil actor Suriya will feature in special cameos.
Madhavan was in town to promote the film and held a meet and greet session at the NU Sentral shopping centre yesterday.
He spoke to Malay Mail where he talked about the spark that ignited his journey to make this biopic, if he managed to change the algorithm on Google surrounding the negative perception against Nambi and his passion for film making.
Rocketry will be simultaneously released in six languages: Hindi, English, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam.
He also spoke about if playing both actor-director roles would be his new trademark and how Malaysia has always been special to him.
The driving motivation behind the film is the untold story of Nambi
Speaking about the film, the multi-talented actor said he was relieved now that the movie was out and has been gaining positive reviews from fans around the world.
"I'm exhausted but it has been an exhilarating experience and it's an honour to be part of Nambi Narayanan's life. It was an experiment but we have succeeded in it, so far there has been extraordinary reviews from people and that is a great relief. It is time for me to move on," he said.
Madhavan said he was motivated to tell Nambi's story after he was moved to tears while watching an interview of the renowned scientist.
"In the interview, he (Nambi) said if he has been proven to be innocent then there is somebody else who is guilty, he said the case has been going on and on and there have been so many adjournments and that one of the days he will die but he said the case must go on until justice is served only then will he be in peace.
"Nambi sir had had that sort of conviction to actually take on the entire system and change the way the supreme court gives its verdict. So when I went to meet him with the plans of making a biopic I realised that there is a bigger story than just the espionage false case against him.
"I realised we were taking the wrong direction and that is when I decided to highlight his achievement ... and that's how the tagline of the film came about which is 'sometimes a man wronged is a nation wronged'," he said.
Nambi came into the limelight in 1994 when he was arrested under false charges of espionage.
He was later given a compensation of Rs 1.3 crore (RM800,000) by the Kerala government.
Recognising his contribution to the development of rocket science in India, the Government of India conferred Narayanan with the country’s third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan, in 2019.
Truthful depiction helped change negative perception of Nambi
Madhavan said it was never his intention while making the movie to change the negative image around Nambi but when it happened following the release of the movie he said it was a bonus.
"The objective of the film was never to prove his innocence, this is not investigative journalism and the film is not a documentary of his life ... it is to depict how most countries have failed to honour their heroes. Winston Churchill once said that a country that does not honour its heroes will have no heroes to honour.
"I wanted to show his story and what he had done for the sake of the country. It is sad that he achieved so much and we don't know anything that he did. That was my biggest concern. I am absolutely sure that I achieved what I had set out to do - because we wanted the world to know about Nambi Narayanan we wanted him to be praised for what he had done and not just known for a false case.
"So when we managed to change the algorithm on Google when you search his name we didn't want him to be known for the ISRO spy case but for what he has done as the foremost rocket scientist in India and on that front we had hit the ball on the park," he said.
He also shared how Nambi reacted to him after watching the movie for the first time.
"We watched together and I remember he got very quiet and said he will talk to me later as he was moved I think. He called me back about six hours later and said: 'I have seen more things than most men will ever see in their lives and I have seen most things that most men should see in their lives. I thought I have seen everything but after seeing this movie I realised a lot of people are going to get jealous but I know we have not said anything in this film or anything that is inaccurate.
"'I am very keen to see how the public is going to receive the film so thank you for giving me the desire to live long enough to do that.' That's what he told me," the actor shared.
On juggling multiple key roles in Rocketry
For the film, Madhavan said while it was a challenge playing multiple roles but it turned out to be somewhat of an advantage as he was in sync with the different departments he had to lead.
"If somebody is doing a film and if the director, producer, actor and writer are not in sync and if one of the pillars are not aligned then the movie collapses.
"In this film the director, writer, producer and actor are the best of friends and they were all trying to make the 'same' movie with the same intent," he said.
The actor said if a situation like this arises then he would not mind making another movie by taking on all the roles.
"Otherwise I think I am going to focus on my acting career as I believe I have more to offer and until people are bored of my acting until then I don't think I will get into directing right away or in that case even making a biopic."
The actor also spoke about movies and series releasing over-the-top (OTT) media service, where he said he views the platform as an exclusive place where a movie should specifically be made for it instead of having it as a mere option to release content.
"Gone are the days where you can say I will make a movie if it doesn't turn out well I will release it on OTT, such an idea is going to die quickly. I have seen this pattern very early on ... In the US, people are doing series like The House of Cards and they are creating bigger stars than the movie industry.
"OTTs are here to stay it is not just another option, you have to change that mindset and think of exclusive content for that platform.
On his immediate plan, Madhavan said he was not in a hurry to make another film.
"I am not in a hurry I want to spend some time with my family spend some time with myself and do the things that I want to do at 52 and then I will think about what to do for my next film," he said.
Zero regrets in 25-year career
In a recent interview with a South India-based entertainment website, the actor had spoken about how he had rejected the film Ghajini which became a blockbuster hit back in 2008.
When asked if he regretted not acting in the film, the actor said:
"I did reject the movie but I still think I shouldn't have been in the movie, nobody could have done it better than Suriya so I have no regrets whatsoever to any films that I have said no to because there is a reason why I would have said no to it. I probably said no to it because my mindset was different at that time.
"At the same time I am also proud of all the movies that I have said yes to because it was still an experience and taught me things."
Madhavan said he also cannot imagine doing anything else other than being an actor.
"Everybody assumed that I would be an engineer or work a technical field but I can't imagine myself doing the same job every day in and out or going to the office I know that would drive me nuts, so I think was born to be an actor and I am grateful that I get to be in a new city meeting new people every time."
The actor also shared that he was under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme and has some investment in Melaka.
"I have been in love with Malaysia from the time that I have been here, I love the people and I love the food," he said.
The movie release and premiere in Malaysia was spearheaded by Superlink Pictures - a broadcasting and media production company that is also behind the local distribution of Rocketry.
