Madhavan with his wife Sarita Birje

Ranganathan and Saroja, parents of Madhavan, disliked their son's foray into teledramas and adverts, however were forgiving after his selection in Mani Ratnam's Alaipayuthey. Despite Madhavan's ambition of wanting to join the army, his parents insisted he went to management school and do a degree on electronics. After completing the degree, he went on to teach communication and public speaking at workshops around India. At the Maharashtra workshop, he encountered his wife, Sarita Birje, an air hostess, whom he married in 1999.

Their first son, Vedant was born on August 21, 2005, which eventually lead to relocating towards to the boat-club area in Chennai from Kilpauk. Madhavan's parents continue to live with him as do his parents-in-law.