I first met Shah Rukh Khan at the Filmfare Awards Ceremony in Hyderabad in 2001. I had won the Best Newcomer Award for Alai Payuthe. My wife Sarita and I were huge fans (of SRK). We were introduced to him by a common friend. When he came to know we were great fans, he invited us to his room and chatted for about three hours.

My wife was awestruck by him throughout the meeting. I had this huge admiration for him. He was everything I thought he would be -- friendly, forthcoming, focused and helpful. He gave me a lot of advice on how to tackle problems in the industry, as I was a newcomer. It was a warm gesture on his part.

We spoke about Mani Ratnam too, as both of us had worked with him. He was as awestruck about him (Mani Ratnam) as I was.

Two years later, we met briefly at a Pepsi shooting. Shah Rukh and Saif Ali Khan were shooting the Hindi ad, while Surya and I were shooting the Tamil version on the same set. It felt great to meet him again. Again, it was a memorable experience.

Shah Rukh has an amazing amount of energy. For me, one of his best films is Yes Boss. I use him as an example for myself.

Madhavan spoke to Radhika Rajamani