Mahendran is an Indian actor who works in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

and Telugu language films. He started acting at the age of 3 and has appeared in over 100 films in six languages as a child actor, a record in India. He is a recipient of two

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...

and two

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...

. In 2013 he played the lead in ''

Vizha ''Vizha'' () is a 2013 Tamil film directed by Barathi Balakumaran. It stars Mahendran and Malavika Menon. The film, based on the award-winning short film ''Uthiri'', portrays the love story of Sundaram (Mahendran), who plays the thappu instrum ...

'', which was his breakthrough as an adult actor.

Career

Mahendran made his debut with

K. S. Ravikumar K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, primarily working in Tamil films. Career 1990–1997 Ravikumar worked as co-director on R. B. Choudary's production ''Pudhu Vasantham'' direct ...

's ''

Nattamai ''Nattamai'' () is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by K. S. Ravikumar. It starred Sarathkumar, Meena and Khushbu. The film was released on 2 November 1994, during Diwali, and completed a 175-day run at the box office. It is co ...

'' (1994). He twice won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Child Artist, for '' Thaikulame Thaikulame'' (1995) and ''

Kumbakonam Gopalu ''Kumbakonam Gopalu'' is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Keyaar, produced by A. V. Subba Rao, and starring Pandiarajan, Mayoori, Janagaraj and Thyagu. It has a musical score by Ilayaraja. The film was a remake of 1991 Kannada film ...

'' (1998). He also twice won the

Nandi Award for Best Child Actor The Nandi Award for Best Child Actor winners since 1981: References {{DEFAULTSORT:Nandi Award For Best Child Actor Child Actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or televis ...

, for ''Devi'' (1999) and ''Little Hearts'' (2001). He also appeared on the Sun TV dance show ''Masthana Masthana'' as a participant in 2009. The actor made his breakthrough as a hero when he starred alongside

Malavika Menon Malavika Menon (born 6 March 1998) is an Indian actress who works in Malayalam and Tamil films mainly in supporting roles. She made her career debut in 2012 with the film ''916 __NOTOC__ Year 916 ( CMXVI) was a leap year starting on Mon ...

in ''

'' (2013), directed by Barathi Balakumaran. The film is based on the award-winning short film ''Uthiri'', and portrays the love story of Mahendran's character Sundaram, who plays the

thappu The parai is a traditional Tamil frame drum about 35 centimeters in diameter, used in the parai attam dance. It consists of a shallow ring of wood, covered on one side with a stretched cow hide that is glued to the wooden frame. The preferred ...

instrument at funerals, and Rakkamma (Malavika), an

oppari An oppari is an ancient form of lamenting in southern India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, and North- Eastern Sri Lanka. Oppari is a folk song tradition and is often an admixture of eulogy and lament. The oppari is typically sung by a gr ...

singer. The film opened to positive reviews in December 2013. His first Telugu film, ''First Love'' opposite Amrita Rao released on the same day, with a low key release.

Filmography

Tamil films

Telugu films

Malayalam films

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahendran Tamil male actors Living people 1991 births Indian male child actors Indian male film actors Male actors in Tamil cinema Male actors in Telugu cinema