R Madhavan is celebrated not only for his work as an actor and filmmaker, but also as the proud father of accomplished swimmer Vedaant Madhavan, who has earned recognition through multiple international victories. Over the years, Madhavan has frequently spoken about his son’s rigorous training journey and the sacrifices the family made to support his ambitions.During a 2025 interview with The Hindu, Madhavan reflected on the major decision he and his wife, Sarita Birje, took during the Covid-19 lockdown by relocating to Dubai so Vedaant’s swimming career would not suffer. “It was an essential decision taken at the right moment. Vedaant was going through his growth spurt as a teenager, and not having a pool to swim would have meant the end of his international swimming career,” he said.At the time, swimming pools across Mumbai and the rest of India had shut down due to pandemic restrictions. Madhavan explained that while India remained closed, several other nations had already resumed training facilities for athletes.“Countries like Germany, France and China had opened up their swimming pools and cordoned them off, making them Covid-free zones. They were asking the students to stay there for months and train. Some of them broke the world records during this period. It was something Vedaant couldn’t afford to miss out on,” he pointed out.The actor added that once they learned Dubai had reopened swimming classes under strict safety protocols, the family decided to move there. Sarita and Vedaant reportedly shifted first, while Madhavan joined them later.Describing it as a turning point, he shared that the move proved beneficial for his son’s progress. “It was a good decision” because Vedaant “excelled after that,” Madhavan noted, adding that the Indian swimming team was also training in Dubai during that period.Speaking candidly about fatherhood, Madhavan admitted he does not consider himself a perfect parent and rated himself modestly.“There are things that I would want to do as a father which I’m 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. However, at the same time, we are also very nervous because he’s attained recognition to an extent that may be disproportionate to his achievements to date, and that too at such a young age,” he said.The actor further explained that his biggest concern is ensuring his son remains grounded despite early fame and success.“I’m not worried about whether he’ll make it bigger or not. I’m more worried about whether he has the smartness to understand that this recognition will soon fade, and one has to take that as a passing phase, and earn all the other accolades that he has in mind, thus making his own name,” he added.Vedaant has steadily built an impressive sporting résumé in recent years. Apart from securing four gold and three silver medals at the 48th Junior National Aquatics Championships, he also brought home five gold medals for India at the Malaysian Open last year.
