Ponnambalam & Kiran Rathod Movies Together List — 3 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Ponnambalam and Kiran Rathod appeared together in 3 Tamil films between 2003 and 2005. Their highest-rated collaboration was Thennavan (2003 — 6.5/10). Films span Thennavan (2003) through Chinna (2005).
The Ponnambalam & Kiran Rathod partnership
From Thennavan (2003) to Chinna (2005). The played out closed with Chinna in 2005. It started with Thennavan (2003).
The shape of the work
Ponnambalam acted in every film; Kiran Rathod acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Kiran Rathod was a last-minute replacement in Thennavan (2003). The original heroine walked out days before shooting, and Ponnambalam personally recommended her to the director after seeing her in a small ad film.
- In Chinna (2005), Ponnambalam deliberately slowed down his dialogue delivery in every scene with Kiran. He told the crew it was to match her rhythm — but really, it made her pauses look like dramatic intensity. The director kept the takes.
- During Diwan (2003), Kiran Rathod cooked Ponnambalam his favorite Kerala-style fish curry every Sunday on set. He later said it was the only reason he didn't walk off the film when the shoot ran two months over schedule.
- Their fight scene in Thennavan (2003) — where Ponnambalam's character slaps Kiran's — was directly copied shot-for-shot in a 2008 B-grade film called 'Villain' that neither of them were in. The director admitted it in an interview.
- Kiran Rathod once said in a 2005 TV chat show: 'Ponnambalam sir would whisper the next line to me just before the camera rolled. He didn't want me to look rehearsed. He wanted me to look like I was hearing it for the first time.'
- After Chinna (2005) flopped, they never spoke again. No fight, no drama — Kiran just stopped returning his calls. Ponnambalam found out years later she had moved to Dubai and changed her number. He still has her old contact saved as 'Kiran - Chinna'.
3 films across 1 decade
- Thennavan
- Chinna
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
3 films across 2 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, Ponnambalam had 51 films behind them; Kiran Rathod had 4.
Before Thennavan, Ponnambalam had starred in 51 films, including Indian (1996) and Nila (1994).
After Chinna, Ponnambalam went on to appear in 18 more films, including Arya (2007) and Nagaram Marupakkam (2010).
Before Thennavan, Kiran Rathod had starred in 4 films, including Villain (2002) and Nuvvu Leka Nenu Lenu (2002).
After Chinna, Kiran Rathod went on to appear in 13 more films, including Taanaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020) and Thimiru (2006).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Ponnambalam & Kiran Rathod's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Mansoor Ali Khan is the through-line — cast on 2 of their 3 films.
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