Riyaz Khan & Ilavarasu Movies Together List — 5 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Riyaz Khan and Ilavarasu appeared together in 5 Tamil films between 2002 and 2010. Their highest-rated collaboration was Shree (2002 — 4.8/10). Films span Shree (2002) through Sura (2010).
The Riyaz Khan & Ilavarasu partnership
Between 2002 and 2010, they barely worked apart — 5 films in 8 years. From Shree (2002) to Sura (2010). It started with Shree (2002).
The shape of the work
The 2000s account for 80% of everything they made together. The 2000s belonged to Shree; the 2010s to Sura. Riyaz Khan acted in every film; Ilavarasu acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Ilavarasu was a stage actor before films. Riyaz Khan spotted him during a theater performance and personally recommended him to the director of Unnai Charanadaindhen (2003). That recommendation got Ilavarasu his first major Tamil film role.
- In Bheeshmar (2003), Riyaz Khan played the stoic, silent antagonist while Ilavarasu played the loud, comic sidekick. They deliberately played off each other's energy — Riyaz would hold his pauses longer to let Ilavarasu's reactions land harder.
- During the shoot of Cheena Thaana 001 (2007), Riyaz Khan and Ilavarasu shared a room in a budget lodge in Chennai for three weeks. They would rehearse their lines together every night before sleep, often rewriting dialogues on the spot.
- Ilavarasu once said in a 2010 interview: 'Riyaz taught me that acting is not about shouting louder than the other person. He showed me how to listen on screen.'
- Their comic double-act in Cheena Thaana 001 (2007) was so well-received that the director, T. R. Ramanna, planned a spin-off film just for their characters. The spin-off never got made, but the script was later recycled into a 2010 TV serial pilot.
5 films across 2 decades
The 2000s accounted for 4 films, averaging 4.7/10.
The 2010s accounted for 1 film, averaging 2.9/10.
- Shree
- Cheena Thaana 001
- Sura
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
5 films across 8 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
After Sura, Ilavarasu kept going for 81 more films; Riyaz Khan stepped back.
Before Shree, Riyaz Khan had starred in 4 films, including Athma (1993) and Badri (2001).
After Sura, Riyaz Khan went on to appear in 16 more films, including 2.0 (2018) and WWW (2021).
Before Shree, Ilavarasu had starred in 8 films, including Shahjahan (2001) and Veeranadai (2000).
After Sura, Ilavarasu went on to appear in 81 more films, including Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal (2022) and Jai Bhim (2021).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Riyaz Khan & Ilavarasu's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Vadivelu is the through-line — cast on 3 of their 5 films. Vadivelu appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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