A passionate actor with National Presence – Ankith Madhav

Today's Interview is special. As we have a special guest. Mr. Ankith Madhav, is a talented actor with a Pan India presence. Here is our conversation :

1) Looking at your impressive body of work with 70 + National level Ad films, 6 Feature Films, Multiple Web series, Music videos, etc, here is the obvious question, when was the day you decided to pursue acting?

Answer: It was not a single-day decision but was organically growing inside me since childhood. I was very much inclined towards performance art so whether it can be mimicry, mono act, drama, singing, or dancing, I always loved to be on stage. Never missed any art competition from my Kindergarten to Engineering college days and represented my school /college in Inter-School /College art competitions multiple times.

I remember the positive comments of eminent judges (from the film fraternity) while presenting me the prize for the reality show “Mr. Handsome” conducted by the premier media house of Kerala, Malayala Manorama a few years back. In the show, it was not only the personality that was judged but also the impromptu acting skills of contestants. Similar appreciations fuelled my confidence in myself.

2) Future looks very promising indeed! Would love to hear about your upcoming projects.

Answer: My upcoming film is R Madhavan's directorial debut, a trilingual ( Hindi, English & Tamil) Feature film- Rocketry. The shooting of this film got completed in Mumbai & Serbia and is getting released nationwide on 1st July 2022. In Rocketry, the Nambi Narayanan biopic, I am playing the role of an ISRO scientist, colleague, and friend of R Madhavan's lead character. Rocketry was screened at the ongoing 75th annual Cannes Film Festival and was well received by a standing ovation.

Currently, I am filming for an international web series, playing a primary character directed by Richie Mehta who created Delhi Crime (Netflix) which grabbed the prestigious Emmy awards.

There are multiple projects under discussion that will go on the floor in the coming months.

3) Can you throw some light on the voice projects you do?

Answer: I give my voice to commercials, especially to celebrity ads which are been dubbed into various regional languages. I have dubbed for Aamir khan, Allu Arjun, Sharukh Khan, Prabhu Deva, Akshay Kumar, Surya, etc It’s a sheer pleasure to watch your role models speaking in your voice! Dubbing or Voice Over is like you acting in front of a mic, sans camera & makeup. Looking back at the 1000+ voice projects done till now, I understand that the experience you get in voice modulation, and emphasis on the right words during a dub helps you a lot during acting.

I am always thankful to Mr. Manikandan, who introduced me to the dubbing industry.

4) Every one of us went through different phases during lockdown till December 2021. will you please summarize your lockdown journey with us?

Answer: Definitely it was a depressing phase. I tried to use the lockdown time to enhance my skills. Just before the lockdown, I was shooting and once the entire Industry got shut down, we all didn't have any choice but to stay at home. I read a lot of books and saw many beautiful movies & web series from around the world. Spent time concentrating on health and family Also, fruitful conversations with like-minded people, to create film projects. I won't say that it was a good thing that we were in Lockdown, but yes it was an opportunity for self-realization.

5) We are eager to hear a few memories from your life

Answer: Life is all about creating good memories but during the journey you face bad experiences too. To grab the good ones and throw the bad ones into the trash box is the trick one needs to learn. When I came to Mumbai, I didn't even know where to go for auditions or who the right people to be approached for work in films. It took me almost 6 months to figure out the correct path. This self-learning empowered me. Rejections and initial struggles make you strong. It was surely a hard time but was worth it.

Be kind, persistent, and do hard work but smartly and you will find your way towards your dream destination.

6) share about your family support

Answer: Family Support is very important when we choose a career that is not usual.

They may be skeptical initially but will eventually shower you with all their love once you prove your persistence and positive progress in the journey. I am blessed to have fantastic support from family, who identified my passion and supported me throughout.

7) How do you adapt to new languages for films?

Answer: Everyone will be 100% comfortable in their mother tongue to communicate. But when the film demands multi-languages other than your mother tongue, you have to deliver it with precision and that can be achieved by practice. One can take the help of a language expert for guidance if it demands a particular dialect too.

I remember my shoot for the feature film Rocketry which was shot in three languages simultaneously (Tamil, Hindi, and English), and the Bilingual feature film ‘Solo’ (Available on Netflix) directed by Bijoy Nambiar (Malayalam & Tamil) So, the actors were chosen who can handle these three languages with ease.

8) any message for those who are dreaming to get into this field

Answer: Let me be very practical here. Anybody can dream about getting into Acting Industry but the first thing which they need to identify that, whether they have got the talent for this or not. If you have not got an opportunity yet to prove your talent, I recommend trying a reputed acting course or acting workshop where you will get a stage to test your caliber.

The second thing is the ability to handle pressure - the pressure of rejections, pressure from society, etc. If you don't have a godfather in the film industry, then you have to face a lot of rejections which is normal during the initial stages. I got rejected approximately 60 times before I got my first TV commercial assignment! We need to keep on trying. Consistency is the key to Mastery. We need to have a fire in the belly attitude for success. Will be great if you have family support or else you need to have a bunch of good friends & well-wishers.

9) and how to reach you?

You can reach me through my Instagram handle @ankithmadhav or on my Facebook page Ankith Madhav. Also, you can reach me through my website www.ankithmadhav.com

Best wishes to you & God Bless!