National Awards 2023: R Madhavan says 80-year-old Nambi Narayanan had child-like smile on learning Rocketry was being honoured

R. Madhavan gave everyone a memorable film in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, which told the story of the former scientist, Nambi Narayanan. The movie has now won the National Award. Madhavan opened up about how the scientist reacted to learning about the honour.

How did Nambi react?

Talking to DD National, Madhavan revealed that Nambi had a child-like smile on his face. “To see a child-like smile on the face of an 80-year-old man is a blessing by itself. It’s truly deserved. For me, all of just looked at sir and had tears in our eyes and we said ‘My God it’s been worth it,” he said.

Madhavan happiest to be an actor in the film

Madhavan took the director’s hat for Rocketry. He also produced the movie. However, Madhavan was the happiest to be an actor on the film. He shared that he got a lot of satisfaction as an actor. Madhavan further explained that he wanted to get the scene where the real Nambi Narayanan arrives right and he was able to achieve that as an actor and that left him happy.

About Rocketry

Rocketry introduced many to who Dr. Nambi Narayanan is. He is a former ISRO scientist who was accused in the ISRO espionage case and later exonerated. The movie which was loved by the critics and audiences alike, now won the National Award for Best Feature Film.

The movie released on July 1, 2022 and featured Shah Rukh Khan in a cameo appearance. It marked Madhavan’s debut as a director and released in Hindi, English and Tamil.