4 min readNew DelhiFeb 4, 2026 09:28 PM IST
Actor R Madhavan recently opened up about a turning point in his career when he took a four-year break from acting that helped him reset, both personally and professionally. The actor shared that stepping away from films gave him clarity, helping him return with a renewed focus and a willingness to pick projects that genuinely excited him, including a steady shift towards OTT platforms. While discussing this phase, Madhavan added a humorous anecdote involving his wife, recalling how she pushed him to get back to work during the pandemic.
When Madhavan’s wife Sarita kicked him out of the house
During a conversation with the YouTube channel Unfiltered Entertainment, Madhavan recalled the moment with humour. He spoke about how she pushed him to get back into the rhythm of work during the pandemic. “My wife says you’ll never be able to get out of work — you do Tamil comedy, Tamil action, OTT, Hindi action, English OTT. I am surprised you are at home. During COVID in 2020, she kicked me out of the house and told me, ‘Go out, do some work, earn money.’”
Madhavan’s wife made him realise he needs to change
Beyond the joke, Madhavan explained that it was Sarita’s honest observation about his state of mind that truly made him pause and reassess. He shared how she noticed a change in his attitude towards work.
“One day, my wife asked me, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ She said that you are going to work like you want to come back from it. That actually made a lot of sense,” Madhavan said.
Madhavan’s wife thinks he is a ‘fool’
Over the past year, the actor has continued to speak about his personal life, often talking about the role his wife plays in keeping him grounded, particularly when it comes to money. During an interview with Just Too Filmy in 2023, Madhavan revealed how Sarita views his approach to finances.
“My wife thinks I am generous to a fault. And I am a fool. And I don’t know how to handle my money. She thinks I keep giving it away. I think I’m very particular about it, but she says not even from a remote corner are you particular about it. I spend what I have.”
At the same time, Madhavan has been clear that while he may not be overly cautious about spending, he is mindful of staying within his limits.
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“I am not very careful about my spending but I always live within my means so if I desire to have a bigger car or better stuff… but if it doesn’t fit my budget, I will not buy it. I don’t have worldly possessions; that is the reflection of my stardom. But I do have the liberty that this stardom offers me and I enjoy it,” he said.
Madhavan and Sarita’s relationship
Madhavan and Sarita first met in the early 1990s when she joined his public speaking and personality development classes in Kolhapur.
Recalling their first interaction in a 2011 interview with The Times of India, the actor had said, “She was aspiring for a job in an airliner and attended my classes. When she finally bagged the cat, she thought it was in part due to my classes and took me to a ‘thank you’ dinner. That’s how it started.”
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After dating for several years, the couple married on June 6, 1999, well before Madhavan rose to national prominence. They are parents to Vedaant Madhavan, who has made a name for himself as an international swimmer.
