Lenin Rajendran

Lenin Rajendran (Malayalam: ലെനിൻ രാജേന്ദ്രൻ) was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked in Malayalam cinema. He served as the Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation from 2016 to January 2019.

Lenin Rajendran
ലെനിൻ രാജേന്ദ്രൻ
Born1951
Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Died (aged 67)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
NationalityIndian
Other namesRajendran
Occupation
Years active1981 – 2019
Children2

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.[1]

An active member of the Communist 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 from a Communist viewpoint.

Swathi Thirunal (1987), a period film was a biographical work of a 19th-century king of Travancore, better known as a musical composer. While Daivathinte Vikrithikal (1992) was the cinematic adaptation of M. Mukundan'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.[2]

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.[3] 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
Lenin Rajendran (right), being felicitated at IFFI (2010)

Kerala State Film Awards

International Film Festival of Kerala

  • 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 : Rathrimazha
  • 2010 - Second Best Film : Makaramanju
  • 2015 - Best Screenplay : Edavapathy

Filmography
Director Lenin Rajendran with the cast of the film at Indian Panaorama, during presentation on 24.11.2007 at Panji Goa
Year Title Cast
1981VenalSukumaran, Jalaja
1982ChilluVenu Nagavalli, Shanthi Krishna
1983Prem Nazirine KanmanillaPrem Nazir
1985Meenamasathile SooryanBharath Gopi, Venu Nagavalli, Vijay Menon, Murali, Ravi, Shobana
1985Mazhakkala Megham
1987Swathi ThirunalAnant Nag, Ranjini
1988PuravruthamOm Puri
1989VachanamSuresh Gopi, Jayaram, Sithara, Sreevidya, Thilakan, Mamukkoya
1992Daivathinte VikrithikalRaghuvaran, Srividya, Thilakan, Vineeth, Sudheesh, Siddique
1997KulamSuresh Gopi, Bhanupriya, Vijayaraghavan
2000MazhaBiju Menon, Lal, Samyuktha Varma, Jagathy Sreekumar, Thilakan, Urmila Unni
2003AnyarJyothirmayi, Biju Menon, Lal, Siddique
2007Rathri MazhaVineeth, Meera Jasmine, Manoj K. Jayan, Biju Menon, Lalu Alex, Cochin Haneefa
2010MakaramanjuSantosh Sivan, Karthika Nair, Nithya Menon, Lakshmi Sarma
2016EdavappathyUtthara Unni, Manisha Koirala, Siddhartha
2017Crossroad Segment - Pinpe NadappavalAnjana Chandran, Joy Mathew, Sagar

References
  1. http://www.cinemaofmalayalam.net/lenin.htm
  2. Jayakumar, G. (27 January 2006). "The politics of a relationship". The Hindu.
  3. https://english.manoramaonline.com/news/kerala/2019/01/14/filmmaker-lenin-rajendran-dies.html


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