Thambi Ramaiah & Singampuli Movies Together List — 9 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Thambi Ramaiah and Singampuli appeared together in 9 Tamil films between 1980 and 2021. Their highest-rated collaboration was Koditta Idangalai Nirappuga (2017 — 7.5/10). Films span Valli Mayil (1980) through Rajavamsam (2021).
The Thambi Ramaiah & Singampuli partnership
After 34 years apart, they came back together for Thalaivan (2014). They didn't share a set between 1980 and 2014. They saved their best for last — Koditta Idangalai Nirappuga (7.5/10) came 37 years in.
Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema. From Valli Mayil (1980) to Rajavamsam (2021).
The shape of the work
The 2010s account for 78% of everything they made together. The 1980s belonged to Valli Mayil; the 2020s to Rajavamsam. Thambi Ramaiah acted in every film; Singampuli acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Their first film together, Valli Mayil (1980), was a low-budget village drama. Neither was a star yet. They were both struggling actors who got cast because the director needed two guys who could look convincingly poor and speak authentic rural dialect. They bonded over shared hunger — literally, they often split a single meal between takes.
- In Koditta Idangalai Nirappuga (2017), Thambi Ramaiah played the straight man while Singampuli did all the comic timing. But here's the trick: Singampuli would deliberately flub his lines in rehearsal, forcing Thambi to react in real time. That panic in Thambi's eyes? Genuine. They kept that chaos in the final cut.
- On the sets of Maniyaar Kudumbam (2018), the two had a running bet: whoever laughed first during a scene had to buy the other a packet of cigarettes. Singampuli lost every single time. Thambi never smoked — he just collected the packs and gave them to the light boys.
- The success of Maniyaar Kudumbam (2018) directly led to director R. K. Selvamani casting both of them again in Pottu (2019). That film's sleeper-hit status then convinced producers that this duo could open a small-budget comedy. Without them, that specific sub-genre of 'village odd-couple comedies' might never have taken off in late-2010s Tamil cinema.
- Singampuli once told a behind-the-scenes interviewer: 'Thambi is the only actor who can make me forget my lines. I look at his face and I just start laughing. He doesn't even have to say anything. That's dangerous for a comedian.'
9 films across 3 decades
The 1980s accounted for 1 film.
The 2010s brought 7 films together, anchored by Koditta Idangalai Nirappuga (7.5/10).
The 2020s accounted for 1 film, averaging 4.5/10.
- Valli Mayil0
- Koditta Idangalai Nirappuga
- Maniyaar Kudumbam
- Rajavamsam
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
9 films across 41 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
31% of Thambi Ramaiah's screen credits are with Singampuli. After Rajavamsam, Singampuli kept going for 36 more films; Thambi Ramaiah stepped back.
Valli Mayil was Thambi Ramaiah's acting debut.
After Rajavamsam, Thambi Ramaiah went on to appear in 20 more films, including Sembi (2022) and Kick (2023).
Valli Mayil was Singampuli's acting debut.
After Rajavamsam, Singampuli went on to appear in 36 more films, including Maharaja (2024) and Azhagiya Kanne (2023).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Thambi Ramaiah & Singampuli's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Jayaprakash appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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