Actor R Madhavan has given an unusually honest assessment of his son Vedaant Madhavan’s swimming career, saying the teenager is nowhere close to the Olympics, and how both of them are aware of the media attention. He believes the attention Vedaant receives is a byproduct of his father’s celebrity rather than his current athletic standing
“His achievements are good but he is nowhere close to the Olympics,” Madhavan said in an interview with Lallantop Cinema in the past. “Because he is my son, he is getting a lot of attention, which both of us realise. He realises it, so he is keeping his head low.”
Madhavan recalled that he gave Vedaant an advice after the teenager won a medal at an international competition and found himself being talked about on social media and in the press.
Also Read: ‘Treated him like an adult at 5’: Madhavan on unconventional approach to raising son Vedaant
“I am more of a philosophical friend, less of his father,” Madhavan said. “For example, he won a medal and he got very popular. So I explained it to him that there is a huge difference between success, fame and popularity. Don’t consider fame and popularity to be yours, because at his age it is very easy to confuse each thing. You still have a long way to go for success.”
‘Star kids are kids after all’
Madhavan also addressed the broader culture of comparing celebrity children to each other, where the children of film stars are ranked, measured and pitted against one another based on their looks, their career choices and their early achievements before they have had a chance to figure out who they are.
“I believe it is wrong to compare kids between each other. It breaks their hearts. It feels very wrong,” Madhavan said. “You can’t just put kids of the same age in a mould and compare, saying they’ll become successful or not. Star kids are kids after all. It is very important to protect and safeguard them. My family doesn’t like these comparisons. We don’t engage with it or encourage it.”
Story continues below this ad
Also Read: ‘They’re watching Japanese anime’: Madhavan says son Vedaant refuses to watch Indian cinema
About Vedaant Madhavan
Vedaant Madhavan, born in 2006, is the son of actor R Madhavan and his wife Sarita Birje. He has been training as a competitive swimmer from a young age and has represented India at multiple international junior competitions. In 2022, at the age of 16, he won a silver medal in the 800m freestyle at the Danish Open in Copenhagen, a result that made national headlines.
According to Madhavan, the family relocated to Dubai to give Vedaant access to better training facilities and coaching infrastructure, a decision the actor has spoken about as a significant personal and financial commitment. Madhavan has been open about attending Vedaant’s competitions, often sharing updates on social media, but has consistently maintained that his son’s career is Vedaant’s own journey and that the attention it receives should not outpace the achievement.
Leave a Reply