New Delhi, June 4

 A chocolate-faced hero who has achieved cult status down south as well as immense popularity in Bollywood, R. Madhavan is against the term "thinking actor". He believes it is simply used for those who can't do song-dance and fighting sequences.

"I think the term thinking actor is meant for those who can't do the song and dance sequences and the fight sequences - so it is a very conveniently elevated position to be in. But as a matter of fact, I think every actor who acts in a film - be it a hero, the thinking actor or the dancing actor, all have to think a lot about what they do. So there is no specific breed called the thinking actors," the 40-year-old star told IANS in an interview.

"There are people who prepare for acting in different ways - some would go into realistic acting because that may be their forte. And yet others would do the entertaining stuff in the form of singing, dancing and jumping and fighting - which are great forms of entertaining, I feel."

Born to a Tamil-speaking family, Madhavan has made a mark on the small screen, in the southern film industry and Bollywood alike.

"Fortunately, I do have a market in both these worlds. Very few actors have that...maybe Kamal Haasan too! Having said that, I don't think that an actor can be limited by his ability to act. If there is any limitation, it will be by the way he speaks a certain language," said the actor, who gave Tamil hits like "Alaipayuthey" and "Ennavale".

He was much appreciated for his role in the film "Tanu Weds Manu" based in north India.

"Being a Madrasi, if I am not able to pull off a 'Tanu Weds Manu' and my so-called Punjabi accent sounds like Madrasi accent, there will be very less appreciation. So one needs to have an individual identity and a connection with the audience," he added.

Madhavan has dabbled in dialogue writing, movie production and hosted TV reality shows, but being an actor is still his top priority.

"I have always found that an actor is on top of the food chain. Everybody else has to wait for him. To be honest, I like that position...I like being on top of the food chain!" Madhavan told IANS here.

His journey in showbiz started with Zee TV's "Banegi Apni Baat" and his Bollywood debut was with "Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein" (2001). After that he went on to make a mark in Hindi films with "3 Idiots" and "Rang De Basanti".

Dressed casually in a blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans and with ruffled hair, Madhavan seemed the least ruffled about the fact that he is busy only shooting ad films these days.

"I haven't signed any new films lately...The truth of the matter is that I am waiting for some scripts to be finalised before I can come up and say that I am doing XYZ film...," he said.

The actor said he recently finished shooting one half of the schedule for Tamil film "Vettai", and is looking forward to the next schedule as well.

"In 'Vettai' I am playing a policeman for the first time. I can't disclose details right now ...but I can assure it is something I have never done before and it is exciting for me," said Madhavan, who was last seen in Hindi film "Tanu Weds Manu".