Lenin Rajendran was an Indian

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

who worked in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

. He served as the Chairman of

Kerala State Film Development Corporation Kerala State Film Development Corporation (abbreviated as KSFDC), is an organization founded by the Government of Kerala, India for promoting the film market in the state. It was founded in 1975, a period when the production of Malayalam films ...

from 2016 to January 2019.

Career

Beginning his film-making career as an assistant to director P. A. Backer, Rajendran made his directorial debut with ''Venal'' (1982). From his first film to his latest one, Edavappathy (2016), Rajendran has been consistent with the quality of his films, not surrendering to market forces even while using the form and stars of popular cinema. An active member of the

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

party, Rajendran at times integrated his political orientation into his screen work: his 1985 film ''Meenamasithile Sooryan'' was about the anti-feudal upheaval of the 1940s in

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

from a

viewpoint. He contested against Sri. K.R Narayanan in 1991 Loksabha election. He was defeated in the election which was held amidst the emotional backdrop after Rajiv Gandhi's death. '' Swathi Thirunal'' (1987), a period film was a biographical work of a 19th-century

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

, better known as a musical composer. While '' Daivathinte Vikrithikal'' (1992) was the cinematic adaptation of

M. Mukundan Maniyambath Mukundan (born 10 September 1942) is an Indian author of Malayalam literature and a former diplomat. He worked as a cultural attaché at the Embassy of France in Delhi from 1961 to 2004, while concurrently working as an author. Many ...

's novel of the same name, ''Kulam'' (1997) was a loose adaptation of C. V. Raman Pillai's historical novel '' Marthandavarma'', '' Mazha'' (2001) was adapted from Madhavikutty's Nashtapetta Neelambhari. One of his other films, ''Anyar'' (2003) deals with the hot topic of communal polarisation in Kerala. His other films are '' Prem Nazirine Kanmanilla'' (1983), ''Puravrutham'' (1988), and '' Vachanam'' (1989).

Death

Lenin Rajendran died on 14 January 2019 in Apollo Hospital Chennai after a liver transplant, at the age of 67. At the time of his death, he was continuing as the Chairman of the Kerala Film Development Corporation. His dead body was taken back to his native place, and was cremated with full state honours. He is survived by his wife Dr. Ramani, son Gouthaman and daughter Parvathi.

Awards

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

* 1987 - Kerala State Film Award (Special Jury Award): Swathi Thirunal (film) * 1992 -

Kerala State Film Award for Best Film The Kerala State Film Award for Best Film is an award presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to the best film in Malayalam cinema. The awards are managed directly by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy under the Department ...

: Daivathinte Vikrithikal * 1996 - Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value : Kulam * 2006 - Kerala State Film Award for Best Director : Rathri Mazha * 2010 - Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film:'' Makaramanju''

International Film Festival of Kerala The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...

*2010 - FIPRESCI Prize for Best Malayalam Film - '' Makaramanju'' ; Kerala State Television Awards * 1999 - Second Best Teleserial: Balyakalasmaranakal * 2011 - Best Documentary (Biography): Kaviyoor Revamma ; Kerala Film Critics Award * 2003 - Special Jury Award : Anyar * 2006 - Second Best Film : Rathri Mazha * 2010 - Second Best Film : Makaramanju * 2015 - Best Screenplay : Edavappathy

Filmography

Dirctor Lenin Rajendran with the cast of Malayalam film Ratri Mazha of Indian Panaorama at presentation on 24

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajendran, Lenin 2019 deaths Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala Kerala State Film Award winners Malayalam film directors Film directors from Thiruvananthapuram Indian communist writers Malayalam screenwriters Screenwriters from Thiruvananthapuram 20th-century Indian politicians 21st-century Indian politicians 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Politicians from Thiruvananthapuram 1951 births