/> This has got to be the craziest adventure of the magnetic Madrasi matinee idol Madhavan's career.

"And I'm ready to produce a film based on my adventures this weekend," laughs Maddy who recently turned producer with a high-acclaimed Tamil version of Nishikant Kamath's Dombivali Fast.

So shall we begin at the start? Maddy and his wife Sarita were holidaying in Malaysia for the New Year, when he came to know that Tata Steels wanted to falicitate their prodigal son in Jamshedpur as part of their centenary celebrations.

"I was informed on Friday about the function to be held on Saturday (5 Jan). I was aghast. How could I make it from Malaysia to Bihar in 24 hours?

But there was no way I'd give this the skip. I had to reach Jamshedpur, no matter how. So I took a ship from Malaysia to Singapore. From the Singapore harbour I took a boat to the port.

Then I quickly caught a flight from Singapore to Chennai and then a domestic flight to Kolkata. Then on a twin -engine aircraft I reached the mines area near Jameshpur. From there the Tata Steels chopper brought me to the venue."

The ordeal as they say, had only begun.

Shudders Maddy, "By now I felt jet lag was invented only for me. Panting and puffing I reached the venue of the function where Shankar-Ehsan-Loy were performing. That's when things started going really wrong."

The Tata Steels people expected a crowd of about 8-10,00 people. "Instead 40,000 people had turned up. The mobs turned unruly and before Imtiaz Ali and I could be facilitated (yes, he too is from Jamshedpur and was also invited) the show had to be called off due to unmanageable crowds."

Now Maddy is hopping mad with the crowd-pulling musicians. "I'm never going to be anywhere near a Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy concert as anything but a fan in the audience.

Just kidding, actually," chuckles Maddy. "I'm a big fan of theirs. Theyy're doing the music in two of my Tamil films. And I love their music."

But that was a hugely- dejected director-star pair leaving Jamshedpur on Sunday morning. "Chalo, at least Imtiaz had to go back after coming from Mumbai only. Imagine my plight!

The journey I undertook to reach my home town for the honour puts Gulliver's travels to shame. Imtiaz should make a film on our adventures called Jab We Wept."