Rajendran

Arunachalam Rajendran, also known as A. Rajendran (born 1 June 1957) and better known/credited as Mottai Rajendran or ''Naan Kadavul'' Rajendran, is an Indian stunt double and actor working mainly in Tamil cinema. He debuted in 2003 with the Tamil film '' Pithamagan'' and has worked as a stunt double in over 500 South Indian films since then. He played the role of a villain in '' Naan Kadavul'' (2009) which won huge critical acclaim and fetched him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Villain''.'' Since then, he has continued to play villainous and later humorous supporting characters in a number of Tamil films. He is noted for his rough voice and alopecia universalis, which he claims was the result of coming into contact with industrial waste during a stunt sequence.

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 movie, he had lost every bit of hair from his body, earning him the nickname Motta Rajendran.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/stunt-accident-left-him-hairless-and-with-plenty-of-roles/articleshow/55360906.cms

Filmography

Tamil films

Telugu films

Malayalam films

Other language films

References

External links

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1957 births
Living people
Indian male film actors
Tamil comedians
Tamil male actors
Male actors in Tamil cinema
21st-century Indian male actors
Indian male comedians
Indian stunt performers
Stunt doubles