Rajendran

Career

Rajendran began his film career working as a stunt double in hundreds of south Indian films mostly in Tamil.

He played a small but significant role in Pithamagan (2003) and made his full-fledged acting debut as a villain in Naan Kadavul (2009). His performance as a cruel leader who tortures beggars earned critical acclaim with a critic noting that he is "menacing and loathsome".

Following his villainous comedy role in Boss Engira Bhaskaran (2010), he says he was typecast in similar roles. His appearance as a killer who dons the garb of a woman in Thirudan Police (2014) was appreciated by critics as "the ultimate showstealer and his already popular lady makeover clinches it big time". His first release in 2015 was Darling, where he appeared as the ghostbuster. The Times of India wrote, "His bald head, thin figure and sandpapery voice make him effective for both villainous and comical roles but from the screams and whistles that his character gets, it is clear that he has made much more impact as a comedian". His second release of the year was Ivanuku Thannila Gandam (2015), where he appeared as a murderer. Before its release, Rajendran's presence in the film's promotional videos received a positive response. The film was released to negative reviews, though Rajendran's performance was appreciated by critics, one of whom noted that "the film belongs to Rajendran as he comes out with his trademark dialogue delivery [...] and carries the entire film".

He later co-starred mostly with actor Santhanam in movies Dhilluku Dhuddu (2016), Dhilluku Dhuddu 2 (2019), Biskoth (2020), Parris Jeyaraj (2021), Dikkiloona (2021), DD Returns (2023), 80s Buildup (2023), Vadakkupatti Ramasamy (2024) and Devil's Double Next Level (2025).

Personal life

A. Rajendran was born on 1 June 1957 in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India. His father, Arunachalam, and two elder brothers are also stunt masters. Rajendran previously used to have androgenic hair, but following an incident in which he jumped into a pond of chemical runoff from a nearby factory as part of a stunt for a Malayalam film, he had lost every bit of hair from his body, earning him the nickname "Motta" Rajendran.

Filmography

Tamil films

Telugu films

Malayalam films

Other language films

References

References

1. (11 November 2016). "Stunt accident left him hairless – and with plenty of roles".
2. S. R. Ashok Kumar. (5 December 2010). "My First Break". [[The Hindu]].
3. link
4. (31 March 2015). "Rajendran turns hot as comedian!".
5. (13 February 2009). "Reality hits you hard – Naan Kadavul". [[The Hindu]].
6. (14 November 2014). "Thirudan Police Movie Review".
7. (15 January 2015). "Darling Movie Review". [[The Times of India]].
8. (21 February 2015). "Rajendran a Big Asset for Ivanuku Thannila Gandam".
9. (12 March 2015). "Review: Ivanuku Thanila Gandam".
10. (23 March 2018). "Lesa Lesa Movie Scenes | Trisha reveals her past | Madhavan intro | Shaam".
11. (21 May 2022). "Pithamagan Tamil Full Movie {{!}} Vikram {{!}} Suriya {{!}} Bala {{!}} Laila {{!}} Sangeetha". Matinee Now Tamil.
12. (29 September 2009). "Rajini, Kamal win best actor awards". [[The Hindu]].
13. "Rajendran- Best Actor in Supporting Role Male Nominee". [[Filmfare Awards]].
14. Chandar, Bhuvanesh. (2025-05-16). "'Devil's Double Next Level' movie review: Santhanam's barely funny, least scary addition to an uneven franchise". The Hindu.
15. Features, C. E.. (2024-09-05). "Rajendran is Memory Dass in Vaibhav's Chennai City Gangsters".
16. Kumar, Akshay. (2025-05-05). "Vaibhav-Athulya Ravi's Chennai City Gangsters gets a release date".
17. (27 January 2021). "kitakitalu full movie HD". Masked_Version.
18. Today, Telangana. (2023-05-19). "Vimanam Teaser {{!}} Samuthirakani {{!}} Anasuya Bharadwaj {{!}} Meera Jasmine".
19. (11 March 2025). "Pariwar Movie Review : Honest, humorous family drama". The Times of India.
20. Features, C. E.. (2025-04-29). "Shine Tom Chacko-starrer The Protector gets a release date".