He started his career as a
Hindi lecturer in S. T. Hindu College and then
Scott Christian College at
Nagercoil. In the movie, he portrayed Stephen, an
Indian army soldier who sacrifices his life on the battlefield for his motherland. The role and the movie were well received by the public.
Moodupadam, for which he had come to Chennai for the make up test, became his second film. From thereon, there was no looking back. He has expressed all facets of life through his various acting roles. Perhaps his most notable role during his early career was in Kariat's
Chemmeen, which won the President's Gold Medal. Madhu entered Malayalam cinema at a time when lead roles were dominated by actors like
Prem Nazir and
Sathyan and created a niche for himself. One of his early films where he made a mark was
Bhargavi Nilayam, a suspense movie, where he is the only actor on screen during the first half of the movie. This was followed by
Udhyogastha,
Virunnukari, and
Veettu Mrugam, by
P. Venu. Madhu has brought to life on screen, memorable characters from the works of eminent writers in Malayalam;
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer,
Thakazhi,
P. Kesavadev,
Uroob,
Ponkunnam Varkey,
S. K. Pottekkatt,
Changampuzha,
M. T. Vasudevan Nair, G. Vivekanandan,
N. N. Pisharody and
C. Radhakrishnan, to name a few. In an acting career spanning over five decades, Madhu acted in over 370 films. Although he was a big star in commercial films, he also acted in parallel movies. Such parallel movies include
Adoor Gopalakrishnan's
Swayamvaram,
P. N. Menon's
Olavum Theeravum, etc. Madhu also proved his talents as a filmmaker and director. His first directorial venture
Priya, released in 1970, was a trendsetter in
Malayalam. The film won the Kerala Government award for the second-best film that year. Madhu directed twelve movies, including hit films like
Sindooracheppu,
Manya Shree Vishwamitran,
Neela Kannukal,
Akkaldama,
Kamam Krodham Moham,
Theekanal,
Dheerasameere Yamunathere,
Aaradhana,
Oru Yuga Sandhya and
Udayam Padinjaru. He was also the producer of several of these films. He produced fifteen movies including
Kaithapoo,
Asthamayam,
Shudhi Kalasham,
Prabhatha Sandhya,
Vaiki Vanna Vasantham,
Archana Teacher,
Grihalakshmi,
Njan Ekananu,
Rathilayam and
Mini. He also produced and directed a movie in English 'Sunrise in the West', which was shot entirely in the USA. He was instrumental in introducing a number of talented actors, directors, lyricists, producers, singers and other technicians to the Malayalam filmdom. He was the owner of the once-renowned
Uma studio at Puliyarakonam in Thiruvananthapuram.
Mini produced by Madhu won the
National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare, at the 43rd National Film Awards in 1995. The film focuses on the social issue of alcoholism. Madhu was one of the lead actors in the Hindi film
Saat Hindustani, which was the debut movie of the Bollywood actor
Amitabh Bachchan in 1969. His other Hindi films are 'Chakachak' directed by
Sai Paranjpye and
Maiyya directed by Anil. Madhu has also done three Tamil films, as
Rajinikanth's father in
Dharma Dorai,
Oru Ponnu Oru Paiyan and
Bharatha Vilas. ==Filmography==