R Madhavan’s son and swimmer Vedaant Madhavan has won accolades for India on multiple occasions. And in most of these occasions, R Madhavan acts the proud father that he is and takes to social media to share the news. Now, Sameer Kamat of MBA admissions consultant, MBA Crystal Ball, has taken to social media to lament on how the swimmer’s achievements have been ignored by the media.
Vedaant Madhavan won five gold medals – 50, 100, 200, 400 and 1,500 mt – at the Malaysian Invitational Age Group Championships 2023, held from April 13-16 in Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Jalil. Madhavan had taken to social media to share the news of his son’s achievement. Before the Malaysian championship, Vedaant had also won four gold and three silver medals at the Aquatic Nationals 2022.
But Kamat, whose post triggered a debate among his followers, stated that Vedaant, perhaps, would have received more limelight if he had chosen his father’s field of acting.
“Celeb kids face a lot of flak (and gain media visibility too) for the privilege they carry with them. But when the field they choose is unrelated to their parents' domain, their accomplishments generally don't get the same exposure. Case in point. 17-year-old Indian swimmer Vedaant Madhavan won five gold medals at the Malaysian Invitational Age Group Swimming Championships held last week in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
“Before the media puts the spotlight back on other celeb kids, show a little support for Vedaant too. This is his moment,” said Kamat.
It must be pointed out that Vedaant’s achievements had grabbed headlines, following Madhavan’s post. However, Kamat’s post had kickstarted a debate where many pointed out that limelight in sports in India is mostly reserved for cricket.
“How many athletes other than cricketers and handful of athletes from other games get the limelight in india?? It's not about only Vedaant, it's about all the other athletes who are winning for India but not getting the limelight,” said a user, while another said, “And indeed all of our athletes who are rarely recognised in the same way as those in the entertainment and social media sectors. Cricket is the exception.”
Yet another user said, “Absolutely. Cricket has been put on an exceptionally high pedestal to the detriment of other sports discipline. Our youngsters are excelling in other fields but the newspapers never cover their achievements. If you don’t believe me, look at all the online portals- major portion of the coverage extends to IPL and bollywood!”
Another user pointed out a different scenario altogether. “Standing up to be your own man, in the shadows of your illustrious father is no joke. Many have fallen. Arjun getting trolled reflects poorly on us not him; we should cheer the kid. Abhishek is a much better actor than he gets credit for. Simply because one inadvertently imagines him standing next to the bigger B. Vedaant has chosen well, to strike on his own and deserves every applause. Surely we need more swimming champs and sporting role models in that arena than new actors,” said the user, while another said that it is wonderful to see an actor allowing his child to follow whatever the child likes in life.
Also read: Watch: R Madhavan's son's heartwarming video on his Junior National Aquatics Championships win
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