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T. V. Chandran ( born 23 November 1950) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor, predominantly working in Malayalam cinema. Born in a Malayali Hindu family in Thalassery, Chandran worked as a Reserve Bank of India employee before entering into the film industry.

He started his film career as an assistant director to P. A. Backer and John Abraham. 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 is widely regarded as one of the finest directors in Indian cinema and is widely credited with having revolutionised parallel cinema with his complex-structured art-house films. Chandran has won several film awards including six National Film Awards and ten Kerala State Film Awards. In addition to these, he is a recipient of a number of awards at various International film festivals.

T. V. Chandran was born in Thalassery, Malabar District, Madras Presidency, the present day Kannur District, Kerala, to Narayanan Nambiar 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 is working 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.