Madhavan next worked on a web series for Amazon titled "Breathe", which was released in January 2018. Madhavan later revealed that he was initially sceptical of the web series format, but was "totally blown away" by the script of the series by Mayank Sharma and decided to accept to work on the project, despite his commitments for the shoot of "Vikram Vedha". For "Breathe", Madhavan studied his own experience as a father besides researching the complexities surrounding organ donation. In the series, he played Danny Mascarenhas, a soccer coach and the father of a young boy with cystic fibrosis, who will die in six months unless he has a lung transplant. Madhavan received positive reviews for his portrayal, with film critic Subhash K. Jha writing "As Danny, Madhavan expresses grief, rage, frustration, guilt, repentance and self-destruction with measured excellence" and that "this is a showcase for an actor at the peak of his power" and "boy, does Madhavan embrace the opportunity". Similarly, a critic from the New Indian Express wrote "Madhavan is in form in a potentially compelling thriller", and a reviewer from the International Business Times wrote he "shows a range of emotions" in "a smooth, beautiful way".