Madhavan was born on 7 November 1935 in Trivandrum, Kerala, Kingdom of Travancore, British India, as the eldest son of Dr. N. P. Pillai and Saraswathi.

Madhavan was the grandson of literary scholar P. K. Narayana Pillai and nephew of dramatist T. N. Gopinathan Nair.

[2] Madhavan briefly joined the Indian Army but left after six months due to a hand injury.

He then began working as a journalist for The Indian Express in Bombay, earning a salary of Rs.175 per month.

At the time, Madhu was searching for an actress for his upcoming Malayalam directorial Priya (1970), and Madhavan assisted him in finding one.

[5] His other notable films include Kalikkalam, Nadodikkattu, Vietnam Colony, Sandesham, Lelam, Ayal Kadha Ezhuthukayanu, Narasimham, Pappayude Swantham Appoos, Pulival Kalyanam, Ananthabhadram.

[6][7] Madhavan served as the first general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AmmA) and was part of the organization for 10 years.