Dhurandhar actor R. Madhavan once made a major life decision during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure his son Vedaant Madhavan did not lose momentum in his swimming career. With pools shut across India during the lockdown, Madhavan and his wife, Sarita Birje, relocated to Dubai so their son could continue training uninterrupted. In a 2025 interview with The Hindu, Madhavan revealed that the move became necessary at a crucial stage in Vedaant’s development as an athlete. “It was an essential decision taken at the right moment. Vedaant was going through his growth spurt as a teenager, and not having a pool to swim in would have meant the end of his international swimming career,” the actor said. At the time, strict pandemic restrictions had shut swimming facilities across Mumbai and much of India. Madhavan explained that several countries, including Germany, France and China, had already reopened training centres under strict Covid-safe protocols, allowing athletes to continue preparing for competitions. According to the actor, Dubai also resumed swimming classes with heavy safety measures in place, prompting the family to shift there. Sarita and Vedaant reportedly moved first, while Madhavan joined them later. Looking back, the actor described the relocation as a turning point in his son’s sporting journey. He said the decision paid off as Vedaant continued to improve and excel during that period, adding that even the Indian swimming team was training in Dubai at the time. Madhavan also opened up about parenting and admitted that his wife played a bigger hands-on role in raising their son because of his demanding acting career. “There are things that I would want to do as a father which I’m unable to because of my profession. My wife is a much more hands-on parent than I am,” he shared, adding that he mainly guides Vedaant philosophically and emotionally. The actor further said that while he is proud of his son’s growing fame, he remains cautious about the pressures that come with early recognition. “I’m more worried about whether he has the smartness to understand that this recognition will soon fade, and one has to take that as a passing phase,” Madhavan said. Vedaant has emerged as one of India’s promising young swimmers in recent years. He won four gold and three silver medals at the 48th Junior National Aquatics Championships and also secured five gold medals for India at the Malaysian Open last year.