Srikanth & Major Sundarrajan Movies Together List — 15 Films

The shape of the work

The 1970s account for 60% of everything they made together. The 1960s belonged to Naanal; the 1980s to Enga Ooru Kannagi. Srikanth acted in every film; Major Sundarrajan acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Srikanth was a newcomer when Major Sundarrajan — already a big name — personally recommended him for Thanga Gopuram (1971). Sundarrajan told the director: 'This boy has the eyes. Use him.' That film became their first together.
• In Avan Oru Sarithiram (1976), Sundarrajan played the strict father to Srikanth's rebellious son. On set, Sundarrajan would deliberately stay in character between takes — never smiling at Srikanth — to keep the tension real. Srikanth later said that silence made him act better.
• After every film wrap, Sundarrajan would take Srikanth to a small tea stall near AVM Studios and buy him a single cup of tea — they'd share it. Srikanth kept that ritual going even after Sundarrajan's health declined in the early 80s.
• Their 1977 film Ilaya Thalaimurai was the first Tamil movie to cast a real-life father-son duo (Sundarrajan and his son) opposite each other — with Srikanth playing the outsider who breaks their bond. That casting choice directly inspired K. Balachander's later family dramas.
• Srikanth once said in a 1995 interview: 'Major Sundarrajan taught me that acting is not about dialogue — it's about the pause between dialogues. I learned that watching him in Then Sindhudhe Vaanam.'
• In Sakka Podu Podu Raja (1978), a comedy, Sundarrajan insisted Srikanth improvise all his lines. Sundarrajan would deliberately flub his own lines to make Srikanth laugh on camera — and the director kept those takes because the laughter felt real. That film became a surprise hit.