Livingston & Robo Shankar Movies Together List — 5 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-05 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Livingston and Robo Shankar appeared together in 5 Tamil films between 2013 and 2019. Their highest-rated collaboration was Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara (2013 — 7.2/10). Films span Yaaruda Mahesh (2013) through Butler Balu (2019).
The Livingston & Robo Shankar partnership
Between 2013 and 2019, they barely worked apart — 5 films in 6 years. For 6 years, a Livingston–Robo film arrived almost every year. From Yaaruda Mahesh (2013) to Butler Balu (2019).
Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara is the one most viewers reach for. It started with Yaaruda Mahesh (2013).
The shape of the work
Livingston acted in every film; Robo Shankar acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Livingston and Robo Shankar first shared screen space in 'Yaaruda Mahesh' (2013) because the director needed a comedian who could match Livingston's deadpan timing. Robo Shankar was fresh off his 'Soodhu Kavvum' breakout, and Livingston specifically asked for him after seeing his improv in a stage show.
- In 'Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen' (2017), Livingston played the straight man to Robo Shankar's chaotic energy. The trick was that Livingston would deliberately pause mid-dialogue to let Robo Shankar jump in with an ad-lib — that rhythm of 'set up, wait, explode' became their signature in every film together.
- Their only hit together, 'Butler Balu' (2019), directly launched the trend of 'servant comedy' in Tamil cinema — where a bumbling sidekick drives the plot. Two low-budget comedies in 2020–21 copied the exact 'master-servant misunderstanding' template from this film.
- On the sets of 'Jeyikkira Kuthira' (2017), Livingston and Robo Shankar had a running bet: whoever flubbed a line first had to buy the entire crew tea. Livingston lost every single day because he kept laughing at Robo Shankar's improvised nonsense words.
- Robo Shankar once said in a 2019 interview: 'Livingston sir is the only actor who can make me look funny without saying a word. He just stares at me, and I lose it.'
5 films across 1 decade
- Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara
- Yaaruda Mahesh
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
5 films across 6 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
When they first worked together, Livingston had 68 films behind them; Robo Shankar had 2.
Before Yaaruda Mahesh, Livingston had starred in 68 films, including Anjathe (2008) and Kadhalil Vizhunthen (2008).
After Butler Balu, Livingston went on to appear in 21 more films, including Chennai City Gangsters (2025) and Taanakkaran (2022).
Before Yaaruda Mahesh, Robo Shankar had starred in 2 films, including Deepavali (2007) and Karka Kasadara (2005).
After Butler Balu, Robo Shankar went on to appear in 20 more films, including Iravin Nizhal (2022) and Jail (2021).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Livingston & Robo Shankar's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Yogi Babu is the through-line — cast on 3 of their 5 films. Yogi Babu appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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