There's a lot for R Madhavan to smile about in the coming months. The actor will turn 35 in June and is due to become a father in August.

"My wife Sarita and I are expecting our first baby," announces Maddy proudly.

"It is a big moment. We waited long enough for it. I make sure that I spend as much time with her as possible. In fact, when I went to the US last week, Sarita accompanied me."

Maddy was in the US to play golf, ("my third biggest passion in life after my wife and the movies") at the posh Pebbles Beach in California. "It is the Mecca of golf, open only to the best players in the world. Tiger Woods plays at Pebbles Beach. It was a great moment for me. I felt like an excited schoolboy in a toy store. I even got my wife to take pictures of me."

Madhavan is ready with his new Hindi film, Ramji London Wale. "It's an out-and-out comedy, a remake of Kamal Haasan's Tamil hit Nala Damyanthi. I play a Bihari cook in London, who is a major fan of Amitabh Bachchan. The character is a lot like me; no, I don't cook well, but I am a major Bachchan buff. Ramji... is a tribute to my two idols — Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan."

The Hindi comedy, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker's former assistant Sanjay Daima, is being marketed and distributed by Columbia-Tristar and will release on July 22.

Says Maddy, "They're a very professional organisation. We need that kind of infrastructure and marketing acumen to take our films to the right places. I believe Ramji... is my most commercial Hindi film to date. And since I'm from Bihar, I had a whale of a time playing the character."

Meanwhile, there's palpable excitement in the Madhavan household over the impending arrival. "The baby can only bring me more luck. We've already thought of alternative names for it. Though I'm really excited about the impending release of a Tamil and a Hindi film within a month, nothing can beat the excitement, nervousness, anxiety and joy of becoming a father," says the papa-in-waiting.

Madhavan's new Tamil film, Thambi, is also due for release soon, and the actor can't stop raving about the film's director. "Seeman is the best director I've worked with since Mani Rathnam. His grasp over the plot is amazing. I'm blessed to be working with the best directors in the industry."