Actor Rajendran loved Shakespeare's plays & theatre, he gave it all for 'Kaliyattam' movie
Rajendran began his film journey in 1981 with Greeshmam, directed by V R Gopinath. However, it was only years later, after a hiatus, that he made a notable return to cinema with Jayaraj’s Kaliyattam, a film that would become a defining point in his career.
Rajendran began his film journey in 1981 with Greeshmam, directed by V R Gopinath. However, it was only years later, after a hiatus, that he made a notable return to cinema with Jayaraj’s Kaliyattam, a film that would become a defining point in his career.
Rajendran began his film journey in 1981 with Greeshmam, directed by V R Gopinath. However, it was only years later, after a hiatus, that he made a notable return to cinema with Jayaraj’s Kaliyattam, a film that would become a defining point in his career.
In Kaliyattam, director Jayaraj’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, E A Rajendran played Unni Thampuram, a character whose emotional insecurity and wounded pride quietly propel the film’s central conflict. Though the story is anchored by the characters of Kannan Perumalayan and Paniyan, Unni’s jealousy and desperation shape the course of events, making the role far more significant than its screen time might suggest.
Jayaraj credits Rajendran as one of the key figures who helped the film take shape in its early stages. Recalling the period when the project was still being developed, the director said:
“In 1996, Rajendran was the one who supported me the most during the making of Kaliyattam. Since the film was based on Othello, his training at the National School of Drama proved invaluable. He was deeply familiar with Shakespearean plays, and that knowledge helped us immensely throughout the process.”
That grounding in theatre was evident in the way Rajendran approached the role. Rather than portraying Unni Thampuram as a conventional antagonist, he focused on the character’s immaturity and emotional fragility. In the film, Unni is a privileged young man who is unable to process rejection when Thamara chooses Kannan instead of him. Rajendran conveyed this through restrained expressions and measured dialogue delivery, allowing the character’s vulnerability to surface without resorting to overt theatrics.
Jayaraj described Rajendran as someone he repeatedly turned to for guidance during the shoot, both as an actor and as a sounding board.
“He was like a reference book for me, and I would constantly consult him during the process. Looking back, I don’t think anyone else could have played that role the way he did. He had many talents, and I am not sure the industry ever fully realised his potential,” he said.
The director also highlighted Rajendran’s deep association with theatre, which he considered central to the actor’s craft and discipline.
“His core strength was theatre. He directed several plays and was actively associated with Kalidasa Kalakendram. Cinema was always his dream, but even as a drama director and performer, he was a formidable talent,” Jayaraj added.
Their final collaboration came when Rajendran worked on the film despite declining health.
“My last association with him was in Oru Perumgaliyattam, for which he both acted and dubbed. By then, his health had begun to weaken. He was a one-of-a-kind talent, and with his National School of Drama background, he was equally at ease in theatre and cinema. He had the rare flexibility to move between both,” the director recalled.
Filmmaker Shaji Kailas, who later directed Rajendran in Narasimham, remembered the actor’s instinctive understanding of performance and timing. “He had a very distinctive style of acting. He was a natural talent, which made him very easy to work with. He understood the character’s space and timing instinctively, and that clarity made the entire process smoother,” Shaji Kailas said.
He also spoke about the contrast between Rajendran’s real personality and the antagonistic roles he often portrayed on screen.
“He was nothing like the villain characters he played. In real life, he was an innocent and gentle person, always cordial with everyone on set. He had a strong background in theatre before entering films, and that experience showed in his performances. Playing a convincing villain is not easy, but he managed to do it effortlessly,” he added.
Born in Engoor in Thrithallur in Thrissur district to Ayyappan and Sumathi, Rajendran developed an interest in performance through school theatre, a path that later took him to the National School of Drama in Delhi, where he graduated with first rank. He went on to pursue a television course at the Film and Television Institute in Pune, training that equipped him to move between stage and cinema with ease.
Although Rajendran had entered films in 1981 with Greeshmam, it was Kaliyattam that became a defining moment in his career. The film allowed him to bring his theatre training fully into play within a cinematic narrative, shaping a character who might otherwise have remained a peripheral figure.