Rajesh Raman Pillai (07 October 1974 – 27 February 2016) was an Indian film director best known for his work in the

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

. He is credited with setting a new trend in Malayalam cinema with his thriller, ''

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

'' (2011). Rajesh Pillai made his directorial debut with ''

Hridayathil Sookshikkan ''Hridayathil Sookshikkan'' () is a 2005 Malayalam-language romance film directed by debutant Rajesh Pillai. Produced by Bose Varghese, the film had Kunchacko Boban and Bhavana playing the main characters. The plot was loosely based on the 2000 A ...

'' (2005) which turned out to be a commercial and critical failure. His second film ''

'', written by brothers Bobby and Sanjay was released in 2011. The film has its narrative in a

hyperlink In computing, a hyperlink, or simply a link, is a digital reference to data that the user can follow or be guided by clicking or tapping. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text wit ...

format and is inspired by an actual event that happened in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. The film was a notable success and is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the Malayalam New Wave. In August 2012, the director announced his next movie titled '' Motorcycle Diaries''. However Pillai put the project on hold and started the work of '' Mili'', a heroine-centric film with

Amala Paul Amala Paul (born 26 October 1991) is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. She made her acting debut by appearing in a supporting role in the Malayalam-language ...

in title role opposite

Nivin Pauly Nivin Pauly (born 11 October 1984) is an Indian actor and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He is a recipient of several awards including two Kerala State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards South, Filmfare South awards. ...

. The film released in January 2015 and received positive reviews from critics and became an above average grosser at box office. ''

Vettah Vettah (English: ''Hunt'') is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-Language Psychological crime mystery thriller film directed and co-produced by Rajesh Pillai. The film stars Kunchacko Boban, Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran and Sandhya. The script was w ...

'', a psychological thriller starring

Kunchacko Boban Kunchacko Boban (born 2 November 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer. Sometimes referred to as Chackochan, he works in the Malayalam film industry and has acted in more than 90 films in more than two decades. He is a member of the List ...

Manju Warrier Manju Warrier (; born 10 September 1978) is an Indian actress, producer, classical dancer and playback singer who primarily appears in Malayalam language films. She is the recipient of several awards including one National Film Award, one Kera ...

Indrajith Sukumaran Indrajith Sukumaran (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor and singer. He predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Indrajith was born to the actors Sukumaran and Mallika Sukumaran and is the elder brother of Prithviraj Sukumaran. Indrajit ...

and

Kadhal Sandhya Revathy (born 27 September 1988), known by her stage name Kadhal Sandhya, is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Early life She was born in . Her father Ajith is an employee of IOB and her mother Maya ...

, scripted by

Arunlal Ramachandran Arunlal Ramachandran( ml, അരുണ്‍ലാൽ രാമചന്ദ്രൻ;born 14 January 1983) is an Indian screenwriter working in Malayalam cinema. His films include Vettah and Karinkunnam 6'S. Early life Arunlal completed hi ...

, is touted to be the first ever mind game movie in Malayalam was released on 26 February 2016, a day before Pillai's death.

plays the role of Sreebala IPS, the City Police Commissioner in this film.

Death

Suffering from

non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also known as metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is excessive fat build-up in the liver without another clear cause such as alcohol use. There are two types; non-alcoholic ...

, Pillai died on 27 February 2016, at PVS Hospital,

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

https://www.deadfamous.info/rajesh-pillai-indian-film-director-died-at-41 He is survived by his wife Megha, father Raman Pillai, and an elder sister.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

* Won – 1st South Indian International Movie Awards for Best Direction – ''

'' * Won – Jaihind Film Awards 2012 for Best Direction – ''Traffic'' * Won – Reporter TV Film Awards 2012 for Best Direction – ''Traffic'' * Won – Nana Film Awards for Best Direction – ''Traffic'' * Won – Amritha Film Award - Trend Setting Film Director * Won – Aimfill Inspire Film Award - Best Innovative Film * Won – National Film Promotion Council 2011 - Pratheeksha Puraskaram * Won –Mathrubhumi Film Awards 2011 - Path Breaking Movie of the Year * Won – Minnalai Film TV Awards-Best Director - 2011 * Won – Audi-Ritz Icon Award 2012 - Iconic Film of the Year Malayalam * Won – Santhosham South Indian Film Award 2011 * Won – Southspin Fashion Award-2012 * Nominated – Asianet Film Awards 2012 for Best Direction – ''Traffic'' * Nominated – Surya Film Awards for Best Direction – ''Traffic''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, Rajesh Film directors from Kerala 2016 deaths Malayalam film directors 1974 births People from Alappuzha district 21st-century Indian film directors Film producers from Kerala Malayalam film producers