Madhavan, an actor in Indian cinema, is endowed with the flair of essaying varied characters. His stint with acting started with the television serials, such as, Sea Hawks, Saaya, Banegi Apni Baat and others in Hindi. All these serials were popular on television and Madhavan became a known face to the masses with his charm and his forte in acting. Madhavan`s impressive histrionic skills enabled him to carve out a niche for himself in the Indian film industry as well. After Shah Rukh Khan he is another actor who has successfully made his foray into films from the world of television. Madhavan has acted in Tamil, Hindi and Kannada films. Within a short span of time Madhavan has established himself as one the biggest stars of silver screen.

It was Santosh Sivan, the photographer with whom he shot a commercial, who recommended Madhavan to ace director Mani Ratnam. Although Madhavan or Maddy appeared for the screen test for Iruvar, Mani Ratnam did not find him suitable for the role. In 1999 Madhavan`s first film, Shanti Shanti Shanti (Kannada) released. In the flick he played the second lead while the main lead was played by Abbas. Shanti Shanti Shanti failed to create an impact at the box office. His second film did the trick. Alaipayuthey was directed by Mani Ratnam. It starred Shalini Kumar opposite Madhavan.

In Alaipayuthey Madhavan played the role of a married man who faces problems in his married life. The film went on to become a cult film that dealt with relationships. Alaipayuthey was received well by both critics and audiences. As far as his performance was concerned Madhavan was perfect in the role of Karthik, a young man, who is facing difficulties in handling his relation with his wife. The film was remade in Hindi by Mani Ratnam starring Rani Mukerji and Viveik Oberoi and was titled Saathiya.

Next came Ennavale in Tamil. But the film did not fare well at the box office. He was criticised by the critics for his choice of roles. However his next project once again reaffirmed his status as a brilliant actor. Madhavan starred opposite Reema Sen in Minnale. It was later remade into Hindi as Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein with Diya Mirza. It marked Madhavan`s debut in Bollywood films. He was also part of Madras Talkies` Dumm Dumm Dumm with Jyothika Saravanan. Both thee films were runaway hits and Madhavan was the heartthrob of millions. Armed with boyish charms, good looks, appealing smile and smart appearance Madhavan is the most sought after star today in the Indian film industry. He has always successfully shuffled his career between the south Indian film industry and Bollywood.

His acting prowess gave him the opportunity to work with the legendary director, K Balachander, in the film Parthale Paravasam. The film, however, failed to create any ripples in the box office. The next film for Madhavan was a Mani Ratnam production, Kannathil Muthamittal. He starred opposite Simran in this flick. Madhavan played the role of a father of an adopted child, who wishes to return to his homeland in the midst of a civil war. Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) is considered a cult film in Tamil cinema and it bagged 6 National awards and another 10 awards at the international film festivals.

Madhavan`s first action film was Run in 2003. His co star was Meera Jasmine. The film was a success too. After Run Madhavan appeared in Anbe Sivam co-starring Kamal Haasan. The film was widely acclaimed critically. Nala Damayanthi and Vikraman`s Priyamana Thozhi followed but these did not succeed commercially. However Madhavan`s performances in these roles were widely appreciated. Two more average films, Jay Jay and Aethiree, followed.

Initially in 2004 Madhavan acted in films like Aethiree, Nothing But Life, and the critically acclaimed Aayitha Ezhuthu. The latter was directed once again by Mani Ratnam. It was a bilingual film that was made in Hindi too, Yuva. Besides Madhavan the film starred Surya Sivakumar, Siddharth Narayan, Meera Jasmine and Trisha Krishnan. Madhavan portrays the role of a henchman in the film. Inba Sekhar, his character in the film, was loved unanimously. He won the South Indian Filmfare Award for the Best Supporting Actor. The actor himself declared that this particular character was one of the most interesting roles he had played so far. Priyasakhi (2005) saw him opposite Sadha where the two played the roles of estranged husband and wife. Priyasakhi was the first Tamil film to be dubbed in Zulu.

The year 2006 was prolific for Madhavan. He had three hit films that year: Rang De Basanti, Thambi and Rendu. While Rang De Basanti gathered accolades for his impressive guest appearance and sharing the frame with stars like Aamir Khan and Kirron Kher, Rendu proved to be the biggest hit in Madhavan`s career. After this a string of films followed including Guru with Vidya Balan, Aarya, Evano Oruvan and others. Several films are also in the pipeline. While some are waiting to be started others are in the post production stage.

Besides being a successful actor Madhavan is also engaged in social causes. He is associated with PETA.

Madhavan is one of those actors in the Indian cinema whose popularity did not wane away with unsuccessful films. The masses love him and time and again he has been recognised for his histrionic forte with awards. Madhavan is the recipient of Filmfare Awards for the films, such as, Alaipayuthey, Aayitha Ezhuthu and Anbe Sivam. He was also nominated for the National Awards for his performance in Aayitha Ezhuthu.

A filmography of Madhavan would include the following films:

Year	Movie
1997	Inferno
1999	Shanti Shanti Shanti
2000	Alaipayuthey, Minnale
2001	Dumm Dumm Dumm, Parthale Paravasam, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
2002	Kannathil Muthamittal, Run, Dil Vil Pyar Vyar
2003	Anbe Sivam, Nala Damayanthi, Priyamana Thozhi, Jay Jay
2004	Nothing But Life, Aethiree, Aayitha Ezhuthu
2005	Priyasakhi, Ramji Londonwaley
2006	Rang De Basanti, Thambi, Rendu
2007	Guru, Aarya, Evano Oruvan
2008	Vaazhthugal, Yavarum Nalam

Madhavan`s upcoming films are Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan, Sunglass, Naan Aval Adhu, Guru En Aalu, Foot Soldier, Teen Patti (announced) and Three Idiots (announced).