Now I 'm a little embarrassed: R Madhavan on viral selfie

Chennai: His shirtless selfie sent the Internet into a meltdown and actor R Madhavan says he is both thankful and embarrassed by the recent attention showered on him by his fans.

The 47-year-old actor's Instagram photograph, in which he is much leaner and sports a salt and pepper look, has female fans drooling and garnered more than one lakh likes on Instagram.

"Now I 'm a little embarrassed and under pressure because I don't look like that all the time and I am trying to see if I can be accepted again as a normal-looking guy. That was an unprecedented amount of attention from the world. I am embarrassed and thankful at the same time," Madhavan told PTI.

The actor is no stranger to female attention. He became a heartthrob after playing a lover boy in "Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein" back in 2001.

Madhavan is currently gearing up for the release of his gangster-cop actioner "Vikram Vedha" directed by Pushkar and Gayathri.

"When it comes to filmmaking, we have to deal with ego, anger, and a lot more; barring all these, how the team works towards the outcome matters. 'Vikram Vedha' ticked all the boxes as a project."

The actor, who plays the role of an encounter cop, says the climax of "Vikram Vedha" will be first of its kind in Tamil film industry. He will be seen locking horns with Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi in the movie, where he essays the role of a gangster.

"The plot is akin to Vikramadityan and Vedhalam's story. Vikram is an honest cop, but he has his flaws, Vedha is a gangster but has a good side too. What happens when Vikram encounters Vedha, how Vedha escapes with his stories, what correlation the stories have with Vikram's life is what the film is about," he says.

Madhavan has finished working on a web series for Amazon Prime Video, which will also be dubbed in Tamil.

The actor says many questioned his decision of doing a web series but he is glad to have agreed to do it as its scale is no less than a big-budget film.

"The quality, story, and narration are extraordinary. We should understand that the content has become globalized. Web series is the next big thing.

"All great scripts need not reach silver screen, and every good story can't be narrated in a 2-hour film. Kevin Spacey stands an example for that, he did 'House of Cards' and made more than what he made with his films. That's the power of the Internet."

Madhavan, who took a four-year break before producing a successful comeback with "Irudhi Suttru", says his "3 Idiots" co-star Aamir Khan inspired him to make the decision.

"I obviously was a little anxious about the break. But there is no point in being a part of the film industry if I was not doing some good movies. I learned this from Aamir Khan; he took a four-year break during 'Lagaan.' And, public memory is short when something is of less significance."

The actor is also one of the few actors who maintain a cordial relationship with his co-stars in the industry and Madhavan says he is addicted to having a pleasant atmosphere around him.

"When I'm involved in a project for six months, I don't want to create or grow anger or hatred. Everyone has some eccentricity, some flaws. When we balance and orient ourselves, it becomes a pleasant situation and then it turns into a mutual respect and then eventually it turns to a great amount of love."