A. Rajendran (born 1 June 1957) 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.
Feb 12 2009Career
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).67 His performance as a cruel leader who tortures beggars earned critical acclaim with a critic noting that he is "menacing and loathsome".8 Following his villainous comedy role in Boss Engira Bhaskaran (2010), he says he was typecast in similar roles.910 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".11 His first release in 2015 was Darling, where he appeared as the ghostbuster.12 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".13 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.1415 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".16
Filmography
Key| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
Tamil films
List of Rajendran Tamil film creditsTelugu films
List of Rajendran Telugu film credits| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Lakshmi Narasimha | Henchman | |
| Gudumba Shankar | Henchman | ||
| Sakhiya | |||
| 2005 | Sri | ||
| 2006 | Kithakithalu | Watermelon seller | 23 |
| 2007 | Athidi | Henchman | |
| 2018 | Chalo | Senior Veeramuthu | |
| 2019 | Chikati Gadilo Chithakotudu | Gopal Varma | |
| 2022 | Sammathame | Assistant of Music Director | |
| F3 | Gudivada Gurunatham | ||
| 2023 | Waltair Veerayya | Gundu Mani | |
| Sir | 'Boothu' Bhushanam | ||
| Vimanam | Balaraju | 24 | |
| 2025 | Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi |
Malayalam films
List of Rajendran Malayalam film credits| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Tokyo Nagarathile Viseshangal | Thug | |
| 2001 | Randam Bhavam | Goon | |
| 2002 | Thandavam | Shankar Das's Henchman | Uncredited role |
| 2016 | Sivapuram | ||
| 2018 | Street Lights | Manimaran | |
| Odiyan | Odiyan doppelgänger | ||
| 2019 | Love Action Drama | SI Rajendran | |
| Kamala | Thoothukudi Raja | ||
| 2024 | Bad Boyz | ||
| 2025 | Pariwar | 25 | |
| The Protector † | TBA | 26 |
Other language films
List of Rajendran other language film credits| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Insan | Head of Cobra gang | Hindi | |
| 2008 | Ghajini | Goon | ||
| 2010 | Naayaka | Nagappa | Kannada | |
| 2017 | Kolara |
External links
References
"Stunt accident left him hairless – and with plenty of roles". The Times of India. 11 November 2016. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2018. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Stunt-accident-left-him-hairless-and-with-plenty-of-roles/articleshow/55360906.cms ↩
"Stunt accident left him hairless – and with plenty of roles". The Times of India. 11 November 2016. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2018. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Stunt-accident-left-him-hairless-and-with-plenty-of-roles/articleshow/55360906.cms ↩
S. R. Ashok Kumar (5 December 2010). "My First Break". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/article932200.ece ↩
"Stunt accident left him hairless – and with plenty of roles". The Times of India. 11 November 2016. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2019. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Stunt-accident-left-him-hairless-and-with-plenty-of-roles/articleshow/55360906.cms ↩
பல ஆண்டுகள் ரகசியத்தை உடைத்த மொட்டை ராஜேந்திரன்!! [Rajendran breaks the secret for many years!]. Samayam Tamil (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2020. பல ஆண்டுகள் ரகசியத்தை உடைத்த மொட்டை ராஜேந்திரன்!! ↩
S. R. Ashok Kumar (5 December 2010). "My First Break". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/article932200.ece ↩
"Rajendran turns hot as comedian!". Sify. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20150401014120/http://www.sify.com/movies/rajendran-turns-hot-as-comedian-news-tamil-pd5pGIbjjhbdf.html ↩
"Reality hits you hard – Naan Kadavul". The Hindu. 13 February 2009. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2017. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/Reality-hits-you-hard-Naan-Kadavul/article15937149.ece ↩
S. R. Ashok Kumar (5 December 2010). "My First Break". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/article932200.ece ↩
"Rajendran turns hot as comedian!". Sify. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20150401014120/http://www.sify.com/movies/rajendran-turns-hot-as-comedian-news-tamil-pd5pGIbjjhbdf.html ↩
"Thirudan Police Movie Review". Behindwoods.com. 14 November 2014. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2017. http://behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/thirudan-police/thirudan-police-review.html ↩
"Rajendran turns hot as comedian!". Sify. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20150401014120/http://www.sify.com/movies/rajendran-turns-hot-as-comedian-news-tamil-pd5pGIbjjhbdf.html ↩
"Darling Movie Review". The Times of India. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/Darling/movie-review/45906280.cms ↩
"Rajendran turns hot as comedian!". Sify. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20150401014120/http://www.sify.com/movies/rajendran-turns-hot-as-comedian-news-tamil-pd5pGIbjjhbdf.html ↩
"Rajendran a Big Asset for Ivanuku Thannila Gandam". NDTV.com. 21 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017. http://movies.ndtv.com/regional/rajendran-a-big-asset-for-ivanuku-thannila-gandam-741266 ↩
"Review: Ivanuku Thanila Gandam". Sify. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20150312150258/http://www.sify.com/movies/ivanuku-thanila-gandam-review-tamil-pdmjWtiabbcgh.html ↩
"Lesa Lesa Movie Scenes | Trisha reveals her past | Madhavan intro | Shaam". YouTube. 23 March 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yldIb8ZlOY0&list=PL6eYJImIZdQ45oDOjVfsNV4EjWRC90QBg&index=15&t=34s ↩
"Pithamagan Tamil Full Movie | Vikram | Suriya | Bala | Laila | Sangeetha". Matinee Now Tamil. 21 May 2022. Event occurs at 1:15:11 – via YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVM9rJbAnFQ&t=4511s ↩
"Rajini, Kamal win best actor awards". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2023. The best villain award was given to Rajendran ('Naan Kadavul'); https://web.archive.org/web/20091001173907/http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/29/stories/2009092950250100.htm ↩
"Rajendran- Best Actor in Supporting Role Male Nominee". Filmfare Awards. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. https://www.filmfare.com/awards/filmfare-awards-south-2017/tamil/nominations/best-supporting-actor-male/rajendran ↩
Features, C. E. (5 September 2024). "Rajendran is Memory Dass in Vaibhav's Chennai City Gangsters". Cinema Express. Retrieved 5 May 2025. https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2024/Sep/05/rajendran-is-memory-dass-in-vaibhavs-chennai-city-gangsters ↩
Kumar, Akshay (5 May 2025). "Vaibhav-Athulya Ravi's Chennai City Gangsters gets a release date". Cinema Express. Retrieved 5 May 2025. https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2025/May/05/vaibhav-athulya-ravis-chennai-city-gangsters-gets-a-release-date ↩
kitakitalu full movie HD. Masked_Version. 27 January 2021. Event occurs at 26:05. Retrieved 22 February 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJmur_jV1PA&t=1565s ↩
Today, Telangana (19 May 2023). "Vimanam Teaser | Samuthirakani | Anasuya Bharadwaj | Meera Jasmine". Telangana Today. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023. https://telanganatoday.com/vimanam-teaser-samuthirakani-anasuya-bharadwaj-meera-jasmine ↩
"Pariwar Movie Review : Honest, humorous family drama". The Times of India. 11 March 2025. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-reviews/pariwar/movie-review/118892107.cms ↩
Features, C. E. (29 April 2025). "Shine Tom Chacko-starrer The Protector gets a release date". Cinema Express. Retrieved 29 April 2025. https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2025/Apr/29/shine-tom-chacko-starrer-the-protector-gets-a-release-date ↩