While many star children are drawn to the entertainment industry, R Madhavan and Sarita Birje's son, Vedaant Madhavan, has chosen a distinct path. At 20, he has established himself as a competitive freestyle swimmer, representing India at international events and earning multiple medals.
Family Relocation During Pandemic
To support his sporting ambitions, Madhavan and his family made a significant life change during the Covid-19 pandemic, relocating to Dubai so Vedaant could continue training when swimming facilities across India remained closed. Reflecting on that period, the actor credited his wife for making a crucial decision at the right time.
In a previous interview with The Hindu, he said, "It was an essential decision taken at the right minute because Vedaant was going through his growth spurt as a teenager. Not having a pool to swim would have been the end of his international swimming career. So, Sarita and I were very hassled because all the pools in Bombay, even India, were closed."
At that time, Vedaant had already won a silver medal for India at the Asian Age Group Swimming Championship. Madhavan explained that staying in India during the pandemic could have seriously hindered his son's progress.
"At the same time, countries like Germany, France, and China had opened up their swimming pools, quarantined them off, and made them Covid-free zones. They were asking students to stay there for months and train. Some broke world records during the Covid period. It was something Vedaant couldn't afford to miss out on."
The actor revealed that Dubai emerged as the ideal solution. "So, when we learned that Dubai was open for swimming and people were conducting classes under strict supervision, Sarita just upped and left. I followed her, and it was a good decision because Vedaant excelled after that. The Indian team was training there as well."
Self-Rating as a Parent
Despite being widely praised for supporting his son's dreams, Madhavan once rated himself just six out of ten as a parent. He admitted that his demanding profession often prevents him from being as involved as he would like.
"I think about 6 on 10. There are things I want to do as a father but am unable to because of my profession. My wife is a much more hands-on parent than I am. I do the philosophical and guidance part, telling Vedaant what has to be done. But at the same time, both of us are also very nervous because he has attained recognition to an extent that maybe disproportionate to his achievement till date and at a much younger age," he said.
Madhavan further shared that he and Sarita are focused on ensuring that Vedaant remains grounded and committed to his long-term goals rather than getting carried away by the attention that comes with being a celebrity's child.
"So, I am not worried about whether he will make it bigger or not, I am more worried about whether he has the smartness to understand that this recognition will soon fade. One has to take that as a passing phase and earn all the other accolades that he has in mind and then make his own name," he concluded.
Additional Spotlight
The actor has also previously spoken about the additional spotlight that comes with Vedaant being his son. During an appearance on Ranveer Allahbadia's podcast, Madhavan acknowledged that his son's accomplishments often receive more visibility because of his own fame.
"Yes, I am not going to take away from what he has achieved. He's done what it takes to get the medals he's got. Being a celebrity's child is not easy. He's going to get a lot more attention than most of his friends, who might have achieved greater success at the same age. So, we do our best to try to promote the other guys as well. He isn't the best in the country, but he's definitely an actor's child who has managed to create a national record," he expressed.
R Madhavan and Sarita Birje married in 1999 after being together for nearly eight years. The couple welcomed their son, Vedaant, in 2005, six years after their wedding.
