I’ve Seen More Chauvinistic Behaviour On Screen & More Good Boys In Real Life: Madhan
In conversation with Subha J Rao, filmmaker Madhan talks about rewriting romance, centring women’s voices, and creating a softer male lead in his latest outing, With Love.
Last Updated: 02.50 PM, Mar 30, 2026
AMID A SEA OF FILMS where romance almost borders on stalking, where toxic behaviour is celebrated and where the ‘good boy’ never gets the girl, Madhan’s With Love, starring Abhishan Jeevinth and Anaswara Rajan, comes as a pleasant surprise. Since it premiered on Netflix earlier in March, it remains in the top 10 films.
The movie is about Sathya and Monisha, who meet at a cafe in a modern-day matchmaking effort, and fall for each other in a series of conversations. The heady rush of nostalgia — old songs, and an utterly believable school flashback — has charmed both youth and their parents, probably why the film is still running in theatres, weeks after its February 6 release.
There’s a healthy discussion of the film on social media, with most loving the believable romance and realistic leads who accept themselves, warts and all. Madhan says he’s moved by the response, and the edit reels and the deep dives, and even more by the fact that his hero, a boy next door who is considered ‘safe’, has received such love.
“Everyone asks me how I wrote Sathya, but I think I am like that too, as are most people around me. I’ve seen more chauvinistic behaviour on screen and more good boys in real life,” smiles Madhan, who, like his hero Abhishan, grew up in Tiruchirapalli. Interestingly, Madhan assisted Abhishan in his directorial debut, Tourist Family, which was one of the superhits of 2025. Cinema got him a shot at a tech job — the last round saw him speak about it — but he left in less than three months and bid his time.
There’s something about people from tier-2 towns who enter the world of cinema — their perception of it is vastly different from those in the metros, because how they consumed cinema as children is also different. “I was your typical KTV kid. I’d watch any movie they screened. One a day was a must. And, then, the infamous power cuts of 2012 hit.” Suddenly, Madhan found himself waking up earlier so that he could at least watch one film before heading to school.
And then he found a friend in Class 11 who lent him DVDs, before film outings with friends became a part of his routine. For Rs 60, the boys immersed themselves in what was happening on screen. This was the time when toxic love was often disguised as romance on screen, and something about it irked Madhan. He finally figured out what was missing years later — the female POV, the girl was always seen as accepting a boy’s proposal, and the relationship was not one of equals.
This is why With Love has leads who are independent — a girl who sets clear boundaries and a boy who strives to do the right things, after initial stumbling. “After watching the film, many women have told me they loved the writing. But, before filming, I wondered if the script’s gaze was all right, and so shared it with some of my female friends. Only after they told me they connected with it did I gain confidence,” says the director who wrote the character with Anaswara in mind; he wanted to work with her since Thanneer Mathan Dinangal.
Madhan was sure that both Aneesha (played by the lovely Kavya Anil) and Monisha would have the space to air their opinion. And that they would possess maturity, a trait that many writers don’t infuse female characters with. After all, Tamil cinema, at one stage, was infamous for the ‘loosu ponnu’ (girl-child) trope. “I’ve been surrounded by women who are mature, who are clear about their preferences and who don’t hold back from telling it as it is,” says Madhan.
This is why Monisha calls out her school crush, Balaji’s online stalking over the years, but is willing to correct Sathya when he checks her phone. She teaches him that two people can love each other and yet breathe free. “She can judge people well. She sees Sathya’s innocence,” says Madhan, who adds he was very particular that no one should ever romanticise what Balaji does in the film. “What is positive is that Balaji comes out of that loop and sees where he was wrong.”
Around the portions where Sathya and Monisha are coming closer, there’s a banger of a yesteryear song placed perfectly — ‘Aval Varuvaala’ (‘Will she come’, from Nerukku Ner, picturised on Suriya) rang so true in this context. “I’ve always focused on the lyrics. I like songs that tell a story. I felt this song would blend with my story, and I set the visuals and choreographed it around the words.”
After a long time, a man’s vulnerability has been celebrated on screen. Sathya is shy and can blush in the first flush of love. “I have never understood why we can’t accept boys who are shy. Heavy masculinity on screen is tiring.”
Working with Abhishan, who does shy well, happened by chance, even though Madhan assisted him in the blockbuster Tourist Family, which left so many smiling in 2025. “When I heard him narrate Tourist Family, I felt he’s more of an actor than a director. His narration is like watching a movie. I somehow felt he would suit the role, and I was right.”
Among the things that niggles is Sandhya’s character forgiving her former boyfriend Santosh, who threatened to expose her intimate images. “It is Sandhya’s choice to forgive him, and she knows him well. She ends their relationship but allows him a chance to grow up. That said, while writing, I let him get away easily because he was just 16 and hot-headed in the script, and he made amends. If I wrote a character who did that at 24, I would have called it a crime.”
Among the less-spoken positives of With Love is how easily the men take the ladle in their hands. When Sathya cooks, you know he knows his kitchen. He never searches; he just puts out a hand with practised ease. He knows his meat cuts, and he loves cooking for the woman he loves. “I never wanted people to notice it, because I wanted it to be natural. I used to cook with my father; he would cut the vegetables and prep for meals. Sathya’s father is someone who loves cooking, and I thought it would be a nice trait for him to have.”
Madhan’s writing of Sathya’s father’s character is also a masterclass in understanding the elderly and what drives them. “We rarely try to understand our parents. We get irritated and angry because we don’t understand their certain choices, and Sathya is in constant anger. Someone who has worked for so long cannot not work. I feel conversing will help sort out so many issues, and I felt I needed to address this gap in the bond between parents and children. Story-wise, too, this incident turned Sathya into a more mature person.”
In many ways, Sathya seeks women of a particular kind — someone mature, someone taking charge. Like Aneesha in school and Monisha now. “Many have liked the scene where he meets his former crush. Aneesha makes him comfortable, almost understands why he’s doing this now, and sends him off. Till she’s with him in the ice-cream parlour, she sees him as a gift. As for Sathya, he sees a woman his age, but in his head, she’s still 15 and in school… Monisha, on the other hand, sees the possibilities in Sathya that even he does not see. She helps him see himself.”
The music by Sean Roldan has grown on people, and Madhan says he was very particular about working with him, especially because he also had eight songs to record, besides background theme music and scratches. “Almost all the songs worked in the first sitting. He’s special.”
‘What next’ becomes a difficult question after a hit. “I have to revisit some stories I wrote earlier. I think I will veer towards a relationship drama,” smiles Madhan.