Rajendran

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).^[2][4] His performance as a cruel leader who tortures beggars earned critical acclaim with a critic noting that he is "menacing and loathsome".^[5]

Following his villainous comedy role in Boss Engira Bhaskaran (2010), he says he was typecast in similar roles.^[2][4] 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".^[6] His first release in 2015 was Darling, where he appeared as the ghostbuster.^[4] 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".^[7] 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.^[4][8] 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".^[9]

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).

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 film, he had lost every bit of hair from his body, earning him the nickname "Motta" Rajendran.^[1]