R Madhavan on his web series Breathe: This is my best piece of work

R Madhavan

Given that you are a father in real life, was it difficult to play this role for reel?
Honestly, when I kicked-off this series, I treated it like another project. But, as we progressed, I realised we were making something big. The director [Mayank Sharma] and I got along like a house on fire. That's when I started focusing on the role.

I have a son, and I began to question what would happen if I was faced with a similar scenario. That's when it became difficult as well as interesting, to play the role. I had to make things look real. That unnerved me. Fortunately, I was able to disconnect from the character before returning home. I'd have a drink before getting home so that I could transcend the morbid thought.

What were the challenges you faced?
Keeping a track of your expressions and emotions for such a long schedule was challenging. There are eight episodes, each being 40-minutes long. So, this was like shooting for four films. On the second day, we shot the climax. On the fifth, we canned the first episode. So, keeping the expressions on track was tough.

What do you take back from the project?
I believe this is the best piece of work that I have done in my life. So, I have this drive of further excelling in my next venture. When you exceed your expectations, and have to cross this yardstick, it is frightening.

How does it feel to be part of the web space?
Digital is going to be the next big thing, and I want to be a frontrunner in that space. You don't have to worry about [the project] every Friday night, like you do in films. When I accepted Breathe, I was doing Vikram Vedha [Tamil film]. To my luck, the film turned out better than expected. So, people won't opine that I have taken up a web show because my films are not doing well.

We believe you and Amit Sadh got along really well...
He came on the set with a reverence for my work, which was frightening. He is the kind of guy I would have liked to be when I was his age. He has exceeded himself.

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