by Subhash K Jha

After doing the cook in Ramji Londonwale, Madhavan is all set to do a Nana Patekar in his new ready-for-release Tamil film Thambi.

The film which Madhavan describes as, "My first full-fledged actioner" features the actor as a good samaritan with a heart of gold and fist of iron. "Yes, the role is strongly inspired by Nana Patekar in Krantiveer."

"Like Nana I play a social crusader who takes on a corrupt system. My rhetorical speeches where I condemn the current socio-political system are the film's highlight. They would remind audiences of Nana in a big way."

Madhavan's performance as a toughie on a mission is being raved about, so much so that he has promptly signed another Tamil action film Arya with director Balashekharan.

So heartening are the reports of Thambi that producer Murli Manohar (ready to release the much talked-about Aishwarya Rai reality tale Provoked) has already decided to remake it into Hindi.

But will Madhavan be able to fulfil any more commitments, considering his time in Mumbai is going to be taken up shooting Deal Ya No Deal , the new game show on Sony Entertainment that Madhavan that is committed to do for the next 3 years and which he starts shooting for shortly?

Says Madhavan, "It won't be easy. Not with Mr Bachchan's game show being on. I believe even Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Bajpai are going to host game shows. So which one would I as a viewer want to switch on to? And to make matters even tougher, I won't have my script written on the show."

"It will all have to be improvised on the sets, glitches and all. So I can make a fool of myself quite easily. Fortunately I've quite a lot of experience on television in the past. At the start of my career I hosted a game show called Tol Mol Ke Bol. So I know the medium quite well."

Does he feel TV will downscale his status in Bollywood? "Certainly not! Let's not underestimate the reach and power of the home medium. In every country where Deal Ya No Deal is shown it's hosted by a big name. I think doing a game show will build on my following."