Rajesh Pillai

Rajesh Pillai was an Indian film director, screenwriter, and newsreader who worked mainly in the Malayalam film industry. He was born on 7 October 1974 in Haripad, a town in Alappuzha district of Kerala, as the sixth son of T. Anantha Padmanabha Pillai and N. Devaki Amma. He completed his schooling from Muthukulam and graduated with a BSc in chemistry from M. G. College and University College Trivandrum. He also learned Sanskrit from the scholar Cheppad Achyutha Warrier at Muthukulam. He joined All India Radio, Trichur in 1965 as a program announcer and later moved to Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram in 1968. He worked at All India Radio until 1986, when he decided to pursue his passion for filmmaking. He made his directorial debut with Hridayathil Sookshikkan (2005), a romantic comedy that failed to impress the critics and the audience. However, he bounced back with his second film Traffic (2011), a thriller that had a hyperlink narrative and was inspired by a real-life incident that happened in Chennai. The film was a critical and commercial success and is considered as one of the pioneers of the new wave cinema in Malayalam. It was also remade in Tamil, Hindi, and Kannada languages. Rajesh Pillai followed up Traffic with two more films, Mili (2015) and Vettah (2016), both of which received positive reviews and performed well at the box office. Mili was a heroine-centric film that starred Amala Paul and Nivin Pauly, while Vettah was a psychological thriller that featured Kunchacko Boban, Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, and Sandhya. Rajesh Pillai was also working on a project titled Motorcycle Diaries, which he had announced in 2012, but could not complete it due to his ill health. Rajesh Pillai was suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and was in need of a liver transplant. He was admitted to PVS Hospital, Kochi on 26 February 2016, a day after the release of Vettah, as his condition deteriorated. He passed away on 27 February 2016 at the age of 41. He was cremated with full state honors at Ravipuram crematorium, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram. He is survived by his wife Mekha Rajesh, his father Raman Pillai, and his elder sister. Rajesh Pillai was widely respected and admired by his colleagues and fans for his innovative and creative style of filmmaking. He won several awards and accolades for his films, including the South Indian International Movie Award, the Jaihind Film Award, the Reporter TV Film Award, the Nana Film Award, the Amritha Film Award, the Aimfill Inspire Film Award, and the National Film Promotion Council Award. He was also felicitated at the International Film Festival of India in 2011. He is remembered as one of the most influential and talented directors of Malayalam cinema, who left behind a legacy of memorable films.