Y. G. P. founded the United Amateur Artists (UAA), one of the first drama companies in Madras city, in the year 1952.

On completion of his schooling from Don Bosco Egmore, he studied Chemical Engineering at A. C. College of Technology, Guindy and MBA.

He was in his early teens when he joined his father's drama troupe, the United Amateur Artists (UAA).

Mahendran's daughter Madhuvanti is married to V. Arunkumar, who is the grandson of actors Gemini Ganesan and Savitri.

He shared screen space with many legendary actors including Sivaji Ganesan, Jaishankar, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.

He thanked K. Balachander, Kalakendra Govindrajan and actor Srikanth for introducing him in the industry, and said that he wouldn't have attained this height without fans.

[11][12] Mahendran, thanks to his brother in law, also began a parallel career in industrial ceramics and had a flourishing company established in 1982.