When 40-year-old R Madhavan felt uneasy playing student in Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots, you won't believe what gave him confidence

R. Madhavan recently made waves with his impeccable performance in Akshay Kumar-led Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story Of Jallianwala Bagh. Next, he will be seen in Karan Johar's romantic drama Aap Jaisa Koi, where he portrays a 48-year-old. Now, the actor opened up on age-appropriate roles and recalled feeling uneasy about playing an 18-year-old college student in 3 Idiots at 40. Surprisingly, it was the sight of bald and grey-haired college students that boosted his confidence.

In an interview with News 18, R. Madhavan recalled when he had to play a college student in Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots despite being 40 years old. The experience left him feeling uneasy, as he found it challenging to convincingly portray a much younger character.

However, he shared that a surprising incident boosted his confidence. The 3 Idiots actor shared that when they went to the college for the shoot and got dressed as college students, they found out that they were looking much younger than the real students there. 

He added, "Thankfully, Aamir (Khan), Sharman (Joshi), and I weren't bald. Guys studying in that college were bald or had grey hair. We had to ask them if they're students or professors. When they said that they're students, we were like, 'Achchi baat hai, bhai! Now we feel much younger'."

Karan Johar's Aap Jaisa Koi, featuring R. Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh, revolves around a 48-year-old Sanskrit professor romancing a 28-year-old French professor. He shared that he agreed to the project because he was cast according to age. 

The Kesari 2 actor also opened up on being more inclined to play characters closer to his real age, as, according to him, playing younger characters feels cringeworthy.

Madhavan also revealed that Aap Jaisa Koi shows whether relationships with huge age gaps are justified and sustainable, as well as the complexities around them. Talking about Hollywood, he mentioned they are even moving away from roping in older actors for young roles. The actor further mentioned that such portrayals now feel out of place and uncomfortable to watch.

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