Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Madhavan Says GDN Unanimously Embraced, Wants Lighthearted Film Next
An actor named R Madhavan made a movie about a very clever inventor called Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu, or GDN for short.
GDN invented many amazing things many years ago.
Madhavan wanted everything in the movie to feel completely real.
He did the same for his earlier movie about scientist Nambi Narayanan, which was so demanding that he even hurt his jaw to look more like the real person.
The inventor's family helped by lending the filmmakers GDN's real gadgets, including a motorcycle that is 150 years old.
The family still makes rocket engines, drone engines, and jet engines today.
Many people loved the movie, and Madhavan says the audience embraced it.
Now that the movie is over, he wants to make something fun and lighthearted.
He also said people have sometimes criticized him for doing unusual things, but he keeps trying different films.
R Madhavan delivers one of the finest performances of his career in GDN, the biopic of legendary inventor Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu.
Madhavan says GDN has been 'unanimously embraced' by the audience and that he now wants to do something lighthearted.
Naidu's supportive family lent the filmmakers the inventor's real gadgets, including a 150-year-old motorcycle.
For his earlier biopic Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, Madhavan went to the lengths of breaking his jaw to look like Nambi Narayanan.
GDN's release was pushed from July 17 due to a clash with Vijay's Jan Nayagan and unrest at the time.
- Who
- Actor R Madhavan, who plays inventor Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu (GDN), in conversation with journalist Subhash K Jha.
- What
- Madhavan discusses GDN, his realistic approach to biopics, and the film's positive audience reception.
- When
- The interview took place after GDN's release; the film had been postponed from its planned July 17 release.
- Where
- Interview location is not stated; the article references Coimbatore, home of the Naidu family's factory.
- Why
- To highlight the making of the biopic, the support of Naidu's family, and Madhavan's path of self-discovery through portraying unsung geniuses.
- Film
- GDN
- Subject
- Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu, legendary inventor
- Lead Actor
- R Madhavan
- Interviewer
- Subhash K Jha
- Previous Madhavan Biopic
- Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
- Planned Release Date
- July 17 (postponed)
- Family Legacy
- Rocket engines, drone engines and jet engines; factory in Coimbatore
- Motorcycle Prop
- 150 years old