/> After wowing audiences all over the world with his first Tamil production Yenalu Or-van, Madhavan is all set to go global with his production house Leukos.

"The response to Nishikant Kamath's film in Tamil that I've produced has been beyond anything I ever expected," enthuses Maddy.

The previews in Los Angeles and New York had non-Indian audiences watching the film in rapt attention. The thing is, Yenalu Oruvan (Kamath's Tamil version of his much-lauded Marathi film Dombivali Fast) is not a typical Bollywood product. I think it connects with audiences as a humane story.

It's about what stress, compromise and conscience-killing has done to the working-class, and it doesn't matter which language or culture the story is located in, the story works for every individual who has ever felt oppressed by familial and state-level obligations. "

Maddy now plans to produce and star in a Hindi version of the story. This would make Nishikanth Kamath the only director to have directed the same story in three different languages.

For now Madhavan plans to give the Tamil version of the story an all-India release on December 7.

"Like any Hindi language film," explains the proud producer. "Any why not? To me and to audiences who have watched the preview in the US, Dubai and India Yenalu Oruvan is a universal story. So what if the language is Tamil?"

The film is expected to have a limited-print run in the metros from December 7.

Says Madhavan, "I'm being asked by my fans in Tamil Nadu why I've opted to go arty at this point of my career. Well, I've had my fill of commercial successes like Arya (Tamil) and Rang De Basanti, Guru (Hindi).

It's about time I did films where I get a chance to be an actor in the truest sense of the word. Yenalu Oruvan gave me that chance. It's my best performance to date. "

The Tamil remake deviates quite a bit in the narrative from the Marathi.

Asserts Madhavan, "I don't think the two films can be compared. Nishikant has sharpened the narrative, done away with the flaws. The Hindi version will be even more flawless. No two different interpretations of a film can be the same even if the director doesn't change. "