THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Noted film director Lenin Rajendran, who died in Chennai, was laid to rest in the capital city on Wednesday. The body was taken to University College in a flower decked vehicle from his residence in Pandits Colony at 10.15 am and later to Kalabhavan. The body was cremated at Shanthikavadam at 2 pm. Many from different walks of life paid homage to the director. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, director, Madhupal, KTDC chairman M Vijayakumar, Trida chairman Jayan Babu, P K Biju MP, actor Jagadheesh, former MLA V Sivankutty and many others paid their last respects. He was under treatment for liver ailments. He recently had a liver transplant. He was the chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation. Beginning his film-making career as an assistant to director P A Backer, Rajendran made his directorial debut with Venal in 1982. From his first film to his latest one, Edavappathy (2016), Rajendran has been consistent with the quality of his films, not surrendering to market forces even while using the form and stars of popular cinema.

An active member of the Communist party, Rajendran at times integrates his political orientation into his screen work: his 1985 film Meenamasithile Sooryan was about the anti-feudal upheaval of the 1940s in Kerala from a Communist viewpoint.

Swathi Thirunal (1987), a period film was a biographical work of a 19th-century king of Travancore, better known as a musical composer. While Daivathinte Vikrithikal (1992) was the cinematic adaptation of M. Mukundan's novel of the same name, Kulam (1997) was a loose adaptation of C. V. Raman Pillai's historical novel Marthandavarma, Mazha (2001) was adapted from Madhavikutty's Nashtapetta Neelambhari. One of his other films, Anyar (2003) deals with the hot topic of communal polarisation in Kerala.

His other films are Prem Nazirine Kanmanilla (1983), Puravrutham (1988), and Vachanam (1989). He leaves behind his wife and two children.