Rocketry:

Rocketry: Madhavan said that he had discussed the idea of ​​rocketry with Shah Rukh Khan when they were working on Zero (2018), in which he had a guest appearance.

Rocketry: Actor R Madhavan on Monday said superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Suriya did not charge any fee for guest appearances in their upcoming directorial venture Rocketry: The Nambi Effect.

The actor-filmmaker also asked megastar Amitabh Bachchan and star-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas to support his film through social media.  

Rocketry: “Whether it is Suriya or (Shah Rukh) Khan sahab, none of them charged any fee for the film. He did not charge anything for the caravan, costumes and helpers. Suriya had left for Mumbai with his team for shooting with his own money. He also did not charge for flights or for a dialogue writer, who translated his lines into Tamil.  

“There are a lot of good people in the film industry. But, I am from outside. Still people have helped me a lot. Just on one of my requests Amit ji (Amitabh Bachchan) or Priyanka Chopra posted the tweet (to support the film). I am grateful to him for his love and respect for me.

The 51-year-old actor has also produced, written and directed Rocketry, a biopic on Nambi Narayanan, a former Indian Space Research Organization scientist and aerospace engineer who was falsely accused of espionage.

Madhavan said that he had discussed the idea of ​​the film with Shah Rukh Khan when he was working on Zero (2018), in which he had a guest appearance.

“Even when I attended his birthday party, he remembered and said ‘Maddie, I want to do a role in your film. Just let me go through with a guest appearance.’ I thanked him for his kind words and he said, ‘No, no. I’m serious’,” he recalled.

Two days later, when Madhavan’s wife Sarita asked him to thank Shah Rukh for his gesture, the actor said he sent a message to the star’s manager asking him to express his gratitude.

“Soon, his manager called me and said, ‘Khan sahab is asking when do you want dates?’ I said I didn’t want to make castles in the air. But that was very serious. Then, I said there was no guest appearance for him, there was an important part,” he said.

While Shah Rukh Khan has acted as himself in the Hindi and English versions of the film, Suriya has acted as himself in Tamil.

Describing Rocketry as “a superhero story” told through a commercial film, Madhavan said he hopes to make more films celebrating the success stories of scientists, engineers and IT experts.

Last month, the film premiered at the Marche du Film section of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in France and Madhavan said he hopes he has made the country proud internationally.

Asked whether films based on science and technology should get support from the government, the actor said any kind of film should be promoted by the film industry itself.

“I don’t think the government should extend its support to any kind of film. I think we, the people of the film industry, should take this initiative and make these films after some research. Where the government supports to a film, it looks like a propaganda film. I don’t think it is the right thing to do. The government should do its job and the film industry should also do its job.”

Madhavan also addressed the growing popularity of South films in the North and said that a good film will work regardless of language.

Click to see his Insta Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce0W9qnlW0o/

“Four films from south namely KGF, Baahubali, Pushpa and RRR have become hits. It is not that all the films out there have become hits. Also, it is not that our Hindi films did not work. Movies like The Kashmir Files, Gangubai and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 have also found good success.

He said, “The films that have found success, they have a good story and every actor has given many years to these projects. Getting into the character, so much hard work, the audience sees all these things. If the film is good, it should. Be a superhit. Be it the language,” he said.