
Director · Actor · Writer
J. Mahendran
11 credited titles on WatchWise
J. Alexander, known professionally as Mahendran, was an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in the Tamil film industry. Mahendran is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Tamil cinema and has influenced numerous filmmakers, writers and actors after him. After entering the film industry as a screenwriter, writing scripts for nearly 26 films, including the widely influential Thangappathakkam (1974), he made an immediate impact with his first directional venture Mullum Malarum (1978), starring Rajinikanth. Uthiripookkal (1979), Mahendran's next film, was based on a short story written by Pudumaipithan, and firmly established him as an important filmmaker in Tamil cinema. His subsequent works, such as Johnny (1980) and Nenjathai Killathe (1980), were acclaimed, with the latter winning three National Film Awards including the award for the Best Regional Film.
Commercial performance
Not enough verified figures yet — only 0 of 8 catalogued titles have publicly reported budget and worldwide gross. Many films (television, independent and regional cinema) never publish these numbers; where they exist, WatchWise fills them in automatically from TMDB and Wikipedia.
Directed (3)
Acted in (4)
Written (1)
Titles are ones WatchWise has catalogued so far — not necessarily a complete filmography.







