Rajesh is an Indian actor who has performed in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
and
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
films and serials. He has completed more than 47 years in films and appeared as lead roles and supporting roles in over 150 films.
He has done roles ranging from a hero to
character actor
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...
.
Biography
Rajesh was born in 1949 to Williams Nattar and lily Grace Mankondar at
Mannargudi
Mannargudi () is a town in Thiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Mannargudi taluk. The town is located at a distance of from the district headquarters Thiruvarur, 36 km from Kumbakonam, 40 km fro ...
,
Tiruvarur district
Thiruvarur district is one of the 38 districts in the Tamil Nadu state of India. As of 2011, the district had a population of 1,264,277 with a sex-ratio of 1,017 females for every 1,000 males.
Geography
The district occupies an area of 2,161 ...
, but his family hails from
Anaikkadu, in
Thanjavur district
Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur. The district is located in the delta of the Cauvery River ...
.
He studied in
Dindigul
Dindigul, also spelt Thindukkal (), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul is located southwest from the state capital, Chennai, away from Tiruchirappalli, away ...
,
Vadamadurai, Melanatham Aanaikadu and Chinnamanur Theni district. After finishing his
PUC in Karaikudi Alagappa College, he joined Pachaiappas College, but unfortunately did not complete his college education. He worked as a teacher in St Paul's High School,
Purasawalkam
Purasawakkam, also known as Purasaiwakkam or Purasai / Purasawalkam, is a residential shopping area in the district of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is close to the Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore railway stations.
Etymo ...
and later at Kellett Higher Secondary School,
Triplicane
Triplicane, known in the vernacular as Thiruvallikeni, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Chennai, India. It is situated on the Bay of Bengal coast and about from Fort St George. The average elevation of the neighbourhood is 14 metres ...
from 1972 to 1979.
In 1974, he got a chance to act in the film ''
Aval Oru Thodar Kathai
''Aval Oru Thodar Kathai'' () is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by K. Balachander. The story revolves around a working middle-class woman, who sacrifices her desires to support her large family. The lead role was played by S ...
'', but he only did a small role in it.
His first film as a hero was ''
Kanni Paruvathile
''Kanni Paruvathile'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language film directed by B. V. Balaguru, starring K. Bhagyaraj, Rajesh and Vadivukkarasi. The screenplay was written by Bhagyaraj. The film is about an impotent husband (Rajesh) – who got ...
'' (1979), produced by Rajkannu.
Rajesh acted in ''
Achamillai Achamillai
''Achamillai Achamillai'' () is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language political drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. It stars Rajesh and Saritha, with Pavithra, Jeyagopi, Delhi Ganesh, Charle and Delhi Nayakar in supporting roles. It rev ...
'', by
K. Balachander
Kailasam Balachander (9 July 1930 – 23 December 2014) was an Indian film maker and playwright who worked mainly in the Tamil cinema. He was well known for his distinct film-making style, and the Indian film industry knew him as a master of un ...
. Later, he moved into playing character roles, and acted in movies with Kamal Haasan like Sathya, Mahanadhi and Virumandi.
Now he is into the hotel and real estate business and he is a leading builder in the city.
He also wrote biographies of Hollywood actors in Tamil.
He is a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, later he was active in Periyaar's ideologies then he involved himself in
Astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...
. He had written many books and articles about Astrology.
Personal life
In 1983, he
married
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
Joan Sylvia Vanathirayar, who is the grand daughter of the famous social reformist and Dravidian leader Pattukottai Davis Vanathirayar. They have one daughter Divya and one son Deepak, who made his acting debut in 2014. His wife died on 6 August 2012.
He was the first Tamil actor to build a bungalow for the purpose of movie shooting in 1985 near KK Nagar, Chennai, which was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran.
Many Tamil, Malayalam and
Hindi movie
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
shootings were completed in that house. He later sold it in 1993, while starting his real estate business. In the early 90s, as advised by his friend Jeppiaar, he started a Real Estate business, then he started hotel and construction business. He was active in
politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
from 1987 to 1991, supporting Janaki. He is also a follower of
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
; he visited
UK and paid his tribute to the great leader.
Filmography
As actor
As dubbing artist
Television
References
External links
*
*
Rajesh at Cinesouth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajesh
Male actors from Tamil Nadu
Indian male voice actors
Tamil male actors
Indian male film actors
Living people
1949 births
People from Thanjavur district
20th-century Indian male actors
21st-century Indian male actors
Male actors in Malayalam cinema
Male actors in Telugu cinema