T. V. Chandran (born 23 November 1950) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor, predominantly working in Malayalam cinema. Born in a Malayali family in Telicherry, Chandran worked as a Reserve Bank of India employee before entering 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 Hemavin Kadhalargal (1985). Chandran came into prominence after Alicinte Anveshanam (1989), which was nominated for the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival. This was followed with Ponthan Mada (1993), his most famous film to date. Chandran is most known for his art-house films which have references to history and undertones of politics and feminism. He is also known for his trilogy on 2002 Gujarat riots, 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 and ten Kerala State Film Awards. In 2023, Chandran was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, the highest award in Malayalam cinema. 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, Madras Presidency, 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, he embarked on a career as a Reserve Bank of India employee before starting his film career. In his college days, Chandran was sympathetic to naxalite ideology and was closely associated with the Communist Party.
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 has been working as an assistant with Chandran right from his first film. Chandran's attachment with his other brother, who died in Nigeria 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 Awards. 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 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 feature film Hemavin Kadhalargal (1985). This film starred Delhi Ganesh and Anuradha. The film marked the debut of the latter, who dominated 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 Alicinte Anveshanam (1989). A mystery film by genre, it narrated the journey of a lady in search of her missing husband. It was the official entry from India for the Locarno International Film Festival, and got a nomination for the Golden Leopard.
International acclaim: 1993–2001
In 1993, Chandran's much acclaimed Ponthan Mada, was released. He cast two of India's greatest method actors, Mammootty and Nasiruddin Shah, 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.