Vedaant Madhavan has been grabbing several headlines recently. Not because he is actor R Madhavan’s son. But because he is winning laurels for the country. He bagged a gold medal at the Danish Open in the 800m men freestyle swimming event. An ace swimming, Vedaant has his eyes on the next Olympics.
In an interview with DD India, Vedaant spilt it all – from how he picked up swimming in the first place to his plans of joining the film industry like his father. Having picked up swimming merely 4 and a half years ago, Vedaant has already managed to make a name for himself in such a short span of time.
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The pool is his space, he says, and that it makes him calm.
“Whenever I went to the pool, I felt calm and that ‘this is my space’. I was very focused. Not even competitive swimming, just going and playing with my friends, it felt like a natural place for me. In school, I started competing properly and I realized ‘oh, I can go fast. This is something I like to do.'”
Talking about how supportive both his parents have been, Vedaant divulged:
“He (R Madhavan) is in a different country but he is staying up late to watch my every race. It’s amazing how even though they are not here physically, they’re always looking after me. Both my mom and dad put so much effort to see me swim.”
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The news of Madhavan’s family shifting base to Dubai also made headlines a couple of months back. Vedaant calls it one of the main sacrifices his parents have made for him. Throughout the interview, the swimmer kept on mentioning how grateful he is for his family.
“One of the main sacrifices my parents made was shifting to Dubai. They were really supportive with my choices and they also believed in me. I’m really happy for that because not many people can say the same as I. I’m really grateful that they chose to stick by me and not force me into going really in-depth into studies. They supported my dreams and my future.”
Talking about his relationship with his father, Vedaant described it as rather friendly. While he speaks to Madhavan about swimming, his father tells him about his work in films.
“I talk about swimming to him and he talks about films and all his movies or other stuff that he’s doing. It’s a very friendly relationship I have with my father. He does support my swimming, he comes and drops me in the morning at 4 o’clock so I can go and train and he picks me up as well. it’s really nice to see my father waking up early so I can go and train.”
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When asked whether he wants to join the film industry in the future, Vedaant responded by saying that his entire focus is on swimming.
“Right now I am completely focused on swimming. So I don’t really get those thoughts. As a kid, I was exposed to all the film facilities and the set. I used to get really excited because acting is a job where you can become anyone. That fascinated me a lot as a kid. But I’m choosing a different path right now.”
He further went on to express that he wanted to make a different name for himself and not be known as just R Madhavan’s son.
“I didn’t want to live under my dad’s shadow. I wanted to make a name for myself. I just didn’t want to be R Madhavan’s son. It’s really nice to know that I’ve touched people and made my own name. I’m sure my dad also wanted the same thing because that’s a really important thing to do for someone to make their own name.”
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Talking about his mom Sarita, Vedaant described her as the most supportive person.
“My mom is the most supportive person. She manages my everything – from my swimming to my diet to my school. Every morning she wakes up at 4 AM so she can take me swimming when my dad is away for a shoot.”
You may watch the entire interview here:
This boy is just 16 years old and he is already an inspiration. Godspeed!