T. V. Chandran (born 23 November 1950) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor, predominantly working in

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, '' Elippathaya ...

. Born in a Malayali family in Telicherry, Chandran worked as a

Reserve Bank of India The Reserve Bank of India, chiefly known as RBI, is India's central bank and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It is responsible f ...

employee before entering into the film industry. He started his film career as an assistant director to P. A. Backer. He also acted the lead role in Backer's highly acclaimed political drama '' Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol'' (1975). He made his directorial debut with the unreleased feature '' Krishnan Kutty'' (1981), and followed this with the

Tamil film Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...

'' Hemavin Kadhalargal'' (1985). Chandran came into prominence after ''

Alicinte Anveshanam ''Alicinte Anveshanam'' ( en, The Search of Alice, italic=yes) is a 1989 Malayalam-language film written and directed by T. V. Chandran.The story revolves around a woman named Alice(Jalaja) who goes in search of her missing husband. Plot Set in ...

'' (1989), which was nominated for the Golden Leopard at the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, s ...

. This was followed with ''

Ponthan Mada ''Ponthan Mada'' is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language film written and directed by T. V. Chandran. The film stars Mammootty and Naseeruddin Shah. It is based on two short stories, ''Ponthan Mada'' and ''Sheema Thampuran'' by C. V. Sreeraman. T ...

'' (1993), his most famous film to-date. Chandran is most known for his

art-house An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...

films which have references to history and undertones of politics and

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. He is also known for his trilogy on

2002 Gujarat riots The 2002 Gujarat riots, also known as the 2002 Gujarat violence, was a three-day period of inter-communal violence in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The burning of a train in Godhra on 27 February 2002, which caused the deaths of 58 Hin ...

, consisting of '' Kathavasheshan'' (2004), '' Vilapangalkappuram'' (2008) and '' Bhoomiyude Avakashikal'' (2012). Other highly acclaimed films include '' Mangamma'' (1997), '' Dany'' (2001) and '' Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam'' (2003). Chandran has won several film awards including six

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

and ten

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Ch ...

. In addition to these, he is a recipient of a number of awards at various International film festivals.

Early life and background

T. V. Chandran was born in Telicherry (Thalassery),

Malabar District Malabar District, also known as Malayalam District, was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792-1800) and Madras Presidency (1800-1947) in British India, and independent India's Madras State (19 ...

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

, the present day Kannur District, Kerala, to Narayanan and Karthyayini Amma. After graduating with a degree from Christ College, Irinjalakuda, and a post graduation from Farook College,

University of Calicut The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to be set up in ...

, he embarked on a career as a

employee before starting his film career. In his college days, Chandran was sympathetic to naxalite ideology and was closely associated with the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel ...

. Chandran's son Yadavan Chandran and brother Soman are also filmmakers. Yadavan has directed docu-films and has assisted Chandran in many of his films. Soman is working an assistant with Chandran right from his first film. Chandran's attachment with his other brother, who died in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

in the 1980s, later inspired the film '' Sankaranum Mohananum''.

Career

Early years: 1975–1981

T. V. Chandran has had no formal training in film-making. He began his film career as an actor in P. A. Backer's '' Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol'' (1975). The leftist political cinema that came out during the Emergency period was adjudged Second Best Film in the

Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Ch ...

s. P. A. Backer was awarded Best Director that year for his directorial debut. The cast includes T. V. Chandran, Raveendran, J. Siddiqui and Shalini. Chandran then worked as an assistant to P. A. Backer and the

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...

filmmaker John Abraham. According to Chandran, it was his association with director V. K. Pavithran (who also produced ''Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol''), that caused his transformation into the "condemned status" of a filmmaker. He says: "Our association had begun when I was just over 14, and since then we used to clandestinely share our interest in the film medium. Filmmaking was an event of celebration in the case of Pavithran and every phase of his productions had an exciting participation of the masses."

Breakthrough: 1981–89

Chandran debuted as a director with '' Krishnan Kutty'' (1981). A critical and commercial failure, this experimental film did not even had a wide public release. The film represents a continuation of P. A. Backer's style of independent film. Chandran's next venture was the

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, na ...

feature film '' Hemavin Kadhalargal'' (1985). This film starred

Delhi Ganesh Delhi Ganesh is an Indian actor who mostly acts in supporting roles in Tamil cinema and serials. He has acted in more than 400 films from 1976 to present. Before films, he was a member of the Delhi-based theatre troupe, ''Dakshina Bharata Nata ...

and Anuradha. The film marked the debut of the latter, who dominated the Tamil cinema for quite a long time. Though ''Hemavin Kadhalargal'' was a commercial success and garnered favourable reviews, Chandran got his much needed break only with his third venture ''

'' (1989). A

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

by genre, it narrated the journey of a lady in search of her missing husband. It was the official entry from India for the

, and got a nomination for the Golden Leopard.

International acclaim: 1993–2001

In 1993, Chandran's much acclaimed ''

'', was released. He cast two of India's greatest method actors,

Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, H ...

and

Nasiruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfar ...

, in the film that focused on the feudal era. It was based on C. V. Sreeraman's two short stories: "Ponthan Mada" and "Sheema Thampuran". The film earned the national and state awards to Mammootty. Chandran's next venture '' Ormakal Undayirikkanam'' (1995) starred Bharath Gopi, Mammootty, Master Nitin,

Nedumudi Venu Kesavan Venugopal (22 May 1948 – 11 October 2021), better known by his stage name Nedumudi Venu, was an Indian actor and screenwriter from Kerala, who predominantly worked in Malayalam cinema. He acted in more than 500 films, primarily in Ma ...

and

Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ...

. It portrayed the rise of the Communists to power in 1957 and the

Vimochana Samaram The Liberation Struggle in Kerala (1958–59) was a period of anticommunist protest against the first elected state government in Kerala, India, which was led by E. M. S. Namboodiripad of the Communist Party of India. Organised opposition to ...

(Liberation Struggle) of 1959. The film earned a national and a state award to Chandran. Film critic Kozhikodan included the film on his list of the ten best Malayalam movies of all time. With critical success coming back to back, Chandran wrote and directed '' Mangamma''. Produced by the

National Film Development Corporation of India The National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) based in Mumbai is the central agency established in 1975, to encourage high quality Indian cinema. It functions in areas of film financing, production and distribution and under Ministr ...

(NFDC), it was screened at the Zanzibar International Film Festival. The film won many major awards, including national and state awards. The references to

can be best observed in '' Susanna'' (2000), a drama about Susanna, who appears to be a prostitute living with five different people at the same time.

Vani Viswanath Vani Viswanath (born 13 May 1971) is an Indian actress who predominantly appeared in Malayalam and Telugu films. In 2000, Vani won the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actress for her performance in '' Susanna'', directed by T. V. Chandra ...

played the title role, widely appreciated to be the best in her career. Chandran originally cast noted danseuse Mallika Sarabhai in this role, but she opted out citing her busy schedules. As a compensation, Mallika Sarabhai was given a major role by Chandran in his next venture '' Dany'' (2001), a

comedy drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

with

in the title role. It was Chandran's third collaboration with Mammootty. The film garnered universal acclaim with most of the critics hailing the performance of Mammootty. Chandran himself has rated this as the finest performance by any lead actor. The protagonist of this film is a mute witness to many historical world events. It won numerous awards including a National Film Award and three State Film Awards.Unni R. Nair. (7 June 2001)
"Dani— Travelling with history"
. ''

Screen India ''Screen'' was an Indian weekly film magazine published by Indian Express Limited. Established in 1951, it was owned by The Indian Express Group. The magazine was acquired by Star India in 2015 and subsequently ceased publication. The magaz ...

''. Retrieved 29 April 2011.

''Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam'' and onwards: 2003-present

Chandrans following project, '' Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam'' (2003), dealt with

child marriage Child marriage is a marriage or similar union, formal or informal, between a child under a certain age – typically 18 years – and an adult or another child. * * * * The vast majority of child marriages are between a female child and a mal ...

and

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is marr ...

prevailing in traditional Muslim communities of Kerala.

Meera Jasmine Jasmine Mary Joseph, known professionally as Meera Jasmine, is an Indian actress who appears primarily in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films. Meera Jasmine won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2004 for her role in ' ...

played the lead role, who won the National and State Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film as a teen age Muslim girl. The premiere of the film saw protests from a group of Islamic periodicals of Kerala. The date of release was postponed more than once for this reason. The film won the

National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare The National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

. T. V. Chandran narrowly missed his second national award as the best director for this film. As there was a tie, the casting vote of the Chairman of jury went to Bengali director Goutam Ghose. With ''Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam'', Chandran ended his association with music director

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

, bringing in background music specialist Issac Thomas Kottukapally to score his

social thriller A social thriller is a film genre using elements of suspense and horror to augment instances of apparent oppression in society. The genre gained attention in 2017 with the release of Jordan Peele's ''Get Out'', a film highlighting occurrences of ...

'' Kathavasheshan'' (2004). Co-produced by and starring Dileep, the film follows a murder mystery. The film tells the story of a civil engineer who commits suicide as a protest against the 2002 Gujarat riots. The film stands odd in the filmography of Chandran for the narrative style it had. The film emerged the biggest winner at the Kerala State Film Awards with four wins. Chandran then worked in a Tamil psychological drama - '' Aadum Koothu'' (2005). The film unfolds from the life of a college student who can see what others don't. The film – starring Navya Nair, Cheran and

Prakash Raj Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam-language films, he is the recipient of several ...

– was screened at various film festivals in 2005–06, but was not released in theatres. It won the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil The Indian Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several aw ...

in 2005. ''

Vilapangalkkappuram ''Vilapangalkkappuram'' ( ml, വിലാപങ്ങള്‍ക്കപ്പുറം; ''Beyond the Wail'') is a Malayalam film scripted and directed by T. V. Chandran in 2008. The film is based on the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots of ...

'' - based on the aftermath of the Gujarat riots of 2002 - was released in 2005. Priyanka,

Biju Menon Biju Menon (born 9 September 1970) is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films, and also has a few Tamil and Telugu film credits. He made his debut in the 1994 Malayalam film ''Puthran''. In a career spanning over two decades ...

Sudheesh Sudheesh (born 7 December 1972) is an Indian actor and director from Calicut who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry. He won Kerala State Film Awards for Best Character Actor in 2021. Personal life Sudheesh is the only son of T. Su ...

and Suhasini played the pivotal roles, and Priyanka won a state award for her performance in the film as a Muslim woman gang raped by a group of communalists. In 2008, Chandran returned as an actor after his debut in ''Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol'', in M. G. Sasi's ''

Atayalangal ''Atayalangal'' ( en, The Imprints) is a 2008 Malayalam-language biographical drama film directed by M.G. Sasi and produced by Aravind Venugopal under the banner Valluvanadan Talkies. Govind Padmasoorya plays the lead role of autobiographical ...

''. He played the supporting role of Bhaskara Kurup in the film that won five state film awards. With '' Boomi Malayalam'' (2009), another film focusing on themes of feminism, he associated with

Suresh Gopi Suresh Gopi (born 26 June 1958) is an Indian actor, politician, playback singer and television presenter. He works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and has also appeared in some Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bollywood films. Suresh made his acti ...

for the first time. The film was structurally different from Chandran's earlier attempts at mapping female life as the film depicted the plight of seven different women who represent different periods of time with all of them sharing a common feeling—–fear. Most of Chandran's films were average performers at the box office even though they received strong positive reviews from critics and garnered awards at state, national and international levels. All of his films were screened at major national and international film festivals. He forayed into mainstream cinema with his next venture - '' Sankaranum Mohananum'' (2011) - a comedy fantasy starring

Jayasurya Jayasurya (born August 1978) is an Indian actor, distributor, Sponsor, Model, film producer, playback singer, and impressionist, who works in the Malayalam films. He has appeared in more than 100 films and has won several awards, including a N ...

, Meera Nandan and

Rima Kallingal Rima Kallingal is an Indian actress and film producer who mainly appears in Malayalam films. She made her Malayalam film debut with '' Ritu'' (2009). She married to the Malayalam film director Aashiq Abu in 2013. Early Life and Career Born in T ...

. The film had

appearing in 20 different getups. It was not a commercial success and was panned by critics. The film was screened at the "Malayalam Cinema Today" Section of the

International Film Festival of Kerala The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...

. Chandran concluded his trilogy on 2002 Gujarat riots with the film '' Bhoomiyude Avakashikal'' (2012), a drama starring Kailash and

. The film started production in June 2012 and had its title adapted from the famous short story "Bhoomiyude Avakashikal" by

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (21 January 1908 – 5 July 1994), popularly referred to as Beypore Sulthan, was a writer of Malayalam literature. He was a writer, humanist, freedom fighter, novelist and short story writer, noted for his path-breaking, ...

. The film's protagonist is driven away from

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per ...

following the riots and eventually lands up in a secluded house in Kerala, in the company of insects and animals with whom he shares his thoughts, concerns, doubts and frustrations. The film was an official selection at at least three film festivals. In August 2018, Chandran started the production works of his next project '' Pengalila'' which depicts the emotional bond between an 8-year-old girl and a 65-year-old daily wage worker who comes to clean up the backyard of the girl's house. Chandran has also directed a few tele-films and tele-serials. Notable among them are the tele-film ''Varum Varaykakal'', which won the State TV Award for Second Best Tele-film, and the tele-serial, ''Sadasivante Kumbasaram.''"From the ramp to the screen"
''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

''. 18 March 2002. Retrieved 29 April 2011.

Awards

;

* 1993 - National Film Award for Best Director : ''

'' * 1995 -

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of sev ...

: '' Ormakal Undayirikkanam'' * 1997 -

: '' Mangamma'' * 2001 -

: '' Dany'' * 2003 -

: '' Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam'' * 2005 -

: '' Aadum Koothu'' ;

* 1989 - Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film: ''

'' * 1993 - Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film: ''

'' * 1995 - Kerala State Film Award (Special Jury Award): '' Ormakal Undayirikkanam'' * 1997 - Kerala State Film Award for Best Director : '' Mangamma'' * 2000 - Kerala State Film Award (Special Jury Award):'' Susanna'' * 2001 - Kerala State Film Award for Best Director : '' Dany'' * 2003 - Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film: '' Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam'' * 2004 - Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film: '' Kathavasheshan'' * 2004 -

Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay The Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have be ...

: '' Kathavasheshan'' * 2008 - Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film: '' Boomi Malayalam''

Filmography

; As actor * '' Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol'' (''When the River Kabani Turned Red''; 1976) * ''Kattu Vannu Vilichappol'' (2000) * ''

'' (''The Imprints''; 2008)

References

External links

* *
T. V. Chandran
at Cinema of Malayalam

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandran, T. V. People from Thalassery 1950 births Living people University of Calicut alumni Malayalam film directors Malayalam film producers Malayalam screenwriters Male actors in Malayalam cinema Tamil film directors Tamil film producers Tamil screenwriters Kerala State Film Award winners 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Best Director National Film Award winners 20th-century Indian film directors 21st-century Indian film directors Screenwriters from Kerala Film producers from Kerala Film directors from Kerala 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Male actors from Kerala Indian male film actors Directors who won the Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award