Veteran Tamil director-Actor J. Mahendran passes away
Tamil filmmaker and actor J. Mahendran breathed his last on Tuesday morning, following a brief hospitalization. His son John Mahendran broke the new through his social media account saying, “DIRECTOR MAHENDRAN PASSED AWAY THIS MORNING.” The filmmaker was 79. He was admitted to the Apollo hospital on March 27. According to hospital sources, he was on ventilator soon after the dialysis session. Mahendran’s remains will be laid at his home from 10 a.m. where the public can pay their respects. The funeral is set to be held at 5 pm.
The ace filmmaker is said to have made Rajinikanth what he is today. He has directed a number of blockbuster films like Mullum Malarum, Johnny and Nenjathai Killadhey. He was last seen in the film Boomerang starring Atharvaa Murali that released earlier this month. Recently, he was also seen in Vijay Sethupathi’s Seethakaathi and the Rajinikanth starrer Petta. The actor was also known for his writing and was a part of of the Blue Ocean FIlm and Television Academy(BOFTA) in Chennai where he heads the filmmaking and direction course.
J Mahendran started his career in Tamil cinema as the result of his anger towards it. In an interview with The Hindu earlier, he revealed, “It is my anger towards Tamil films that motivated me to make films that are real, where people smiled and spoke normally. I made films for pleasure and not for commercial success. I got an opportunity to criticise Tamil cinema in front of MGR. Later, he spotted me at a press meet, took me home and presented me with the volumes of Ponniyin Selvan. This was the starting point of my journey as a screenplay writer.”
Mahendran made his directorial debut with Mullum Malarum, a critically acclaimed drama starring Rajinikanth, Sarath Babu, Fatafat Jayalaxmi and Shoba, in 1978.
