Biography
Ranganathan Madhavan was born on 1 June 1970 in Jamshedpur (then Bihar, now Jharkhand), India, into a Tamil-Brahmin family. His father worked as a management executive at Tata Steel and his mother was a bank manager. He earned a BSc in Electronics and during his college years actively participated in NCC-cadet training, exploring ambitions in the defence services. Before acting, he taught public speaking and personality development.

Career Life
Madhavan began his entertainment career in television during the early 1990s, then made his breakthrough in Tamil cinema with Alai Payuthey (2000) under director Mani Ratnam. He earned acclaim for diverse roles across Tamil and Hindi films, including supporting roles in 3 Idiots (2009), and led in pivotal films such as Irudhi Suttru (2016) and Vikram Vedha (2017). In 2022, he made his directorial debut with Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. He continues to act, produce and direct, spanning multiple languages and genres.

Personal Life
Madhavan married Sarita Birje in 1999; the couple met during his personality-development classes in the early 1990s. They have a son, Vedaant, born in August 2005. The family resides between Chennai and Mumbai, balancing his film commitments in Tamil, Hindi and other industries. Madhavan is known for his vegetarian lifestyle, active involvement in animal-welfare causes (he has worked with PETA) and his charitable engagements in education and healthcare. He maintains a reputation for thoughtful public persona and selective film choices.