--- name: "R. Madhavan" canonical: "https://film.one/person/r-madhavan" fi1m_id: "r-madhavan" imdb_id: "nm0534856" tmdb_id: 85519 wikidata_id: "Q729982" roles: ["Actor"] born: "1 June 1970" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_fi1m_score: 77 average_as: "actor" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-10-09T04:06:04.330002+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # R. Madhavan ## Identity R. Madhavan - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/r-madhavan - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** r-madhavan - **IMDb ID:** nm0534856 - **TMDB ID:** 85519 - **Wikidata ID:** Q729982 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Madhavan, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q729982, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534856/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/85519 Actor. Born 1 June 1970 in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 1 June 1970, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India - **Active:** 2006–present - **Also known as:** மாதவன், R. Mathavan - **Frequently works with:** [Aamir Khan](https://film.one/person/aamir-khan.md), [Sharman Joshi](https://film.one/person/sharman-joshi.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 77, as actor, over 2 titles - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Madhavan, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q729982, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534856/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/85519 ## Fi1m on R. Madhavan > R. Madhavan is persuasive when friendship needs to feel ordinary and important at once. We rate his warmth and lack of fuss, with a reservation: being good company does not make him equally assured in every scene. In *3 Idiots* (2009), the friends take one another’s hopes seriously, and R. Madhavan makes that encouragement feel worth having. As Farhan Qureshi, alongside Sharman Joshi’s Raju, he helps make Aamir Khan’s advice matter to someone besides the man delivering it. We were moved by that friendship because the pressure to succeed in education felt personal. The romantic leads came well before Farhan. Mani Ratnam’s *Alaipayuthey* (2000) was his breakthrough in Tamil cinema, and *Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein* (2001) took him into Hindi films. Supporting roles in *Rang De Basanti* (2006) and *Guru* (2007) widened his recognition before *3 Idiots*. That move into ensembles matters to our view of him: his understated manner gives other people space, and his warmth can keep their affection from seeming merely convenient to the plot. Rajkumar Hirani makes good use of this in *3 Idiots*, allowing kindness to be expressed plainly and without embarrassment. The supporting acting is not consistently convincing, however: Khan is the more assured performer, and our affection for Farhan should not conceal the unevenness. Madhavan has also spoken of discomfort with age-inappropriate youthful roles, a useful caution against assuming that an actor who first found success in romances should remain young on screen. The friendship carries the film’s serious passages, but it does not cure the slow start or the excess of helpful advice. The later work has not stayed with youthful romance: *Vikram Vedha* (2017) gave him a crime-thriller lead, while *Shaitaan* (2024) took him into antagonistic parts. He also wrote, produced and directed *Rocketry: The Nambi Effect* (2022). There is reason to be curious about those choices, though taking a different sort of part is not enough on its own to make the performance worth watching. Start with *3 Idiots* if you have some patience for a film that offers advice almost as readily as friendship. ## Biography R. Madhavan is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil and Hindi cinema. Born Ranganathan Madhavan on 1 June 1970 in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, he began his career with television appearances in the mid-1990s before making his film debut. He gained recognition in Tamil cinema with Mani Ratnam's *Alaipayuthey* (2000). Madhavan is known for his roles as Farhan Qureshi in *3 Idiots* (2009) and Ajay Sanyal in *Dhurandhar* (2025). Other notable films include *Rang De Basanti* (2006), *Guru* (2007) and *Vikram Vedha* (2017). He has also worked as a screenwriter, producer and director. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) - *3 Idiots* (2009), Fi1m 78, as Farhan Qureshi — [page](https://film.one/film/3-idiots.md) - *Rang De Basanti* (2006), Fi1m 76, as Ajay Rathod — [page](https://film.one/film/rang-de-basanti.md) ## Complete filmography (75) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *G.D.N* (2026), as GD Naidu · Producer, Writer - *Dhurandhar: The Revenge* (2026), as Ajay Sanyal - *Dhurandhar* (2025), as Ajay Sanyal - *De De Pyaar De 2* (2025), as Rakesh Khurana - *Aap Jaisa Koi* (2025), as Shrirenu Tripathi - *Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh* (2025), as Neville McKinley - *Test* (2025), as Saravanan - *Hisaab Barabar* (2024), as Radhe Mohan Sharma - *Shaitaan* (2024), as Vanraj Kashyap - *The Railway Men - The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984* (2023), series, as Rati Pandey - *Amriki Pandit* (2022), as Purab - *Dhokha: Round D Corner* (2022), as Yathaarth Sinha - *Rocketry: The Nambi Effect* (2022), as Nambi Narayanan · Writer, Director, Producer - *Decoupled* (2021), series, as Arya Iyer - *Maara* (2021), as 'Maara' Manimaaran - *Putham Pudhu Kaalai* (2020), as Narrator (segment "Ilamai Idho Idho") - *Nishabdham* (2020), as Anthony - *Zero* (2018), as Kartik Srinivasan - *Savyasachi* (2018), as Arun Raj - *Breathe* (2018), series, as Danny Mascarenhas - *Magalir Mattum* (2017), as Surendar (Cameo) - *Vikram Vedha* (2017), as Vikram - *Irudhi Suttru* (2016), as Prabhu Selvaraj · Screenplay - *Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn* (2015), as Tom - *Tanu Weds Manu: Returns* (2015), as Manoj 'Manu' Sharma - *Sunglass* (2013), Actor - *Jodi Breakers* (2012), as Sid - *Vettai* (2012), as Thiru Murthy - *Tanu Weds Manu* (2011), as Manoj "Manu" Sharma - *Manmadhan Ambu* (2010), as Madanagopal - *Teen Patti* (2010), as Prof. Shantanu Biswas - *Om Shanti* (2010), as RJ Maddy (extended cameo) - *3 Idiots* (2009), as Farhan Qureshi — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/3-idiots.md) - *Sikandar* (2009), as Lt. Col. Rajesh Rao - *Guru En Aalu* (2009), as Guru - *Yavarum Nalam* (2009), as Manohar - *Mumbai Meri Jaan* (2008), as Nikhil Agarwal - *Vaazhthugal* (2008), as T. Kadhiravan - *Evano Oruvan* (2007), as Sridhar Vasudevan · Co-Producer - *Aarya* (2007), as Aarya - *Delhii Heights* (2007), Actor - *Guru* (2007), as Shyam Saxena - *Rendu* (2006), as Sakthi / Kannan - *Thambi* (2006), as Thambi Velu Thondaiman - *Rang De Basanti* (2006), as Ajay Rathod — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/rang-de-basanti.md) - *Ramji Londonwaley* (2005), as Ramnarayan Tiwari (Ramji) · Dialogue, Screenplay - *Priyasakhi* (2005), as Sandhana Krishnan (Sakhi) - *Nothing but Life* (2004), as Roby Thomas - *Aayitha Ezhuthu* (2004), as Inbasekaran - *Aethiree* (2004), as Subramani aka 'Bottle' Mani - *Jay Jay* (2003), as Jagan - *Priyamaana Thozhi* (2003), as Ashok - *Nala Damayanthi* (2003), as Ramji Narayanaswami Iyer - *Lesa Lesa* (2003), as Deva Narayanan (Guest Appearance) - *Anbe Sivam* (2003), as Anbarasu - *Dil Vil Pyar Vyar* (2002), as Krish Kumar - *Run* (2002), as Siva - *Kannathil Muthamittal* (2002), as Thiruchelvan - *Paarthale Paravasam* (2001), as Dr. Madhava - *Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein* (2001), as Madhav "Maddy" Shastri - *Dum Dum Dum* (2001), as Adhithyan - *Minnale* (2001), as Rajesh Shivakumar - *Ennavale* (2000), as James Vasanthan - *Alaipayuthey* (2000), as Karthik Varadharajan - *Saaya* (1998), series, as Shekhar - *Operation Cobra* (1997), as Inspector Ravi - *Ghar Jamai* (1997), series, as Malayatoor Subramaniam Namboodiripad (Subbu) - *Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin* (1996), as Singer in Club (Uncredited Role) - *Banegi Apni Baat* (1993), series, as Ashley - *Shaitaan 2*, Actor - *4 Idiots - 2028 TBC*, as Farhan Qureshi - *Circle*, Actor - *Adhirshtasaali*, Actor - *Bridge*, Actor - *Legacy*, series, Actor --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/r-madhavan