Director

J. Mahendran

Writing

Career Snapshot

Explained

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Directed credits

Active

Regular directing credits.

TMDB popularity

0.8

Low visibility

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Directed movies: 6Directed series: 0All crew credits: 21

TMDB ID: 585321

IMDb ID: nm0536820

Known for: Writing

Born: July 25, 1939

Died: April 2, 2019

Age: 79

Place of birth: Ilaiyangudi, Madras Presidency, British India

Gender: Male

Adult content flag: No

Career span: 1969 - 2022

Years active: 54

Average TMDB rating: 6.96

Wikidata: Q6106452

Also known as

J. Mahendran • Mahendran J • J. Alexander • Alexander J • Alexander Mahendran • J Mahendiran • J Mahendhiran • Mahendhiran • Mahendiran • J.Mahendran • +1 more

Frequent jobs

Director (6)Story (8)Screenplay (4)Original Story (2)Dialogue (1)

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Biography

J. Alexander, known professionally as Mahendran, was an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in the Tamil film industry. Mahendran is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Tamil cinema and has influenced numerous filmmakers, writers and actors after him. After entering the film industry as a screenwriter, writing scripts for nearly 26 films, including the widely influential Thangappathakkam (1974), he made an immediate impact with his first directional venture Mullum Malarum (1978), starring Rajinikanth. Uthiripookkal (1979), Mahendran's next film, was based on a short story written by Pudumaipithan, and firmly established him as an important filmmaker in Tamil cinema. His subsequent works, such as Johnny (1980) and Nenjathai Killathe (1980), were acclaimed, with the latter winning three National Film Awards including the award for the Best Regional Film.