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Madhavan recently reignited controversy by defending his character Madhav “Maddy” Shastri’s actions in the film, insisting that stalking was justifiable given the era.
R Madhavan became a household name in Bollywood after RHTDM.
Over two decades after its release, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (RHTDM) continues to be a topic of debate, particularly for its problematic themes, including the glorification of stalking. While the 2001 romantic drama flopped at the box office, it later gained cult status, thanks to its music and performances by R Madhavan, Dia Mirza and Saif Ali Khan.
However, Madhavan recently reignited controversy by defending his character Madhav “Maddy” Shastri’s actions in the film, insisting that stalking was justifiable given the era. In a conversation with IndiaTV, he argued that before the age of social media and mobile phones, men had limited ways to approach women.
“At a time when phones, messages, and social media didn’t exist, how would you contact a girl? What was considered decent? If meeting a girl knowing that she’s there, assuming that it’s a decent way to approach, then my father could be accused of stalking. Anybody could be. If it were a love marriage, there was no other way to get in touch with the other person,” he stated.
Madhavan further questioned how men today are expected to meet women, saying, “In our village, we had festivals every month because it was an opportunity for social interaction. How do you meet a girl in a city today? You’re not going to meet your life partner in a bar, right? That’s not why you go there.” He added that for lower-middle-class men, festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Holi were often the only opportunities to meet potential partners.
The actor also expressed concerns about modern dating dynamics, claiming that men today are too afraid to approach women due to fear of being labeled problematic. “Earlier, we used to go to nightclubs. Among 100 guys, two would be immoral—touching girls inappropriately. Then there’d be 10 guys who would have the courage to decently approach women. The remaining 60 percent would remain quiet, too afraid to make a move. Now that figure has reached 90 percent because they’re all afraid,” he remarked.
