Multilingual star R.Madhavan, who has become a popular name in the Hindi film industry after films like "Rang De Basanti" and "3 Idiots", says he worked hard to set his hair for his first meeting with filmmaker Mani Ratnam, but failed to be part of director's film "Iruvar".

"Fourty minutes to set my hair for my first meeting with Mani sir - storm hit chennai- waded through four feet of water - looked like 'a chicken ready for masala' when we met, " Madhavan posted on his Twitter page Saturday.

"Mani sir rejected me after my first audition (for 'Iruvar')- Prakash Raj did it- he said my eyes looked too young for the role and we'd work together later, " he added.

The actor, who later featured in Ratnam's films including "Guru", was in a mood to share trivia about his career with his Twitter fans.

After being rejected for the big screen, he went on to try his luck on the idiot box with shows like "Saaya", "Sea Hawks", "Banegi Apni Baat", "Tol Mol Ke Bol" and "Ghar Jamai", and later made his film debut at the age of 30.

Recently, his Bollywood career has been on an upswing ever since the release of "3 Idiots", where his performance as an engineering student aspiring to be a photographer, was highly appreciated.