R Madhavan is considered one of the most versatile actors in Indian cinema with films like ‘Alaipayuthey’, ‘Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein’ and in recent times ‘The Rocketery’, ‘Dhurandhar’. But unlike many stars whose rise is defined by years of rejection and struggle, her journey has been shaped by unwavering self-belief and the courage to dream big. Long before movies became a part of his life, the actor had already written about his greatest ambition as a teenager: to be “rich and famous”. Madhavan recalled writing his life goals while he was in class 12. “I had written in my ambitions that I wanted to become a jack of all trades and a master of some in my 12th grade in Canada. I wrote it when I was 17. It’s still there in my notebook. I had written that I wanted to become rich and a master of all trades and exact words. I had written,” he said in an old conversation with Chetan Bhagat, Reflecting on the power of ambition, Madhavan said that people should not put limits on their dreams, even if others seem impossible. He credited his own journey as proof that believing in the unimaginable can sometimes make it a reality.“There’s no limit to dreaming and you should never limit it either. I always say, ‘Be a fool. Have amazing dreams. Dreams that will make other people think you’re crazy.’ It is very important to dream big. I never imagined a day Amitabh Bachchan wish me my birthday It’s a huge thing. He is a legend. Just look at my journey. There was a time when I was away in Jamshedpur, watching his films, and then there was a time when I was with him, making films with him. I manifested this and knew it would happen one day. You should never be afraid to dream,” he added.Interestingly, despite writing of his aspiration to become an actor, Madhavan never consciously worked towards a film career. At the time, he was making a successful living as a public speaking and communication skills coach, earning well and enjoying the life he had built. Acting came into his life by pure chance.“I didn’t aim to become an actor. I didn’t know that one day I would become an actor. I came to Mumbai to teach communication skills and public speaking. At that time I was earning Rs 70,000-80,000 a month. It was a lot of money in those days and I used to spend it all. Around the same time, someone asked me if I wanted to act randomly on the street. At first, I thought it was a scam. But that’s how I got into acting,” he recalled.That unexpected encounter changed the course of his life. Soon after, Madhavan landed the lead role Mani Ratnam‘Alaipayuthey’ (2000), the romantic drama that became a critical and commercial success. The film catapulted him to stardom and paved the way for an illustrious career in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu cinema.