Ramesh Khanna & K. S. Ravikumar Movies Together List — 8 Films

The shape of the work

The 2000s account for 63% of everything they made together. The 2000s belonged to Varalaru; the 2020s to Obama Ungalukaga. Never on the same side of the camera — Ramesh Khanna actor, K. S. Ravikumar director, across all 8 films.

Partnership facts

• Ramesh Khanna was a writer on K. S. Ravikumar's earlier films before Ravikumar cast him as an actor in 'Paarai' (2003). That film marked Khanna's first major acting break under Ravikumar's direction.
• In 'Aadhavan' (2009), Ravikumar gave Khanna a rare comedic role as a bumbling sidekick. Khanna's timing was so sharp that Ravikumar later said he wrote the character specifically to let Khanna improvise lines on set.
• Ravikumar and Khanna stayed close friends for nearly two decades. When Khanna fell seriously ill in 2020, Ravikumar quietly covered his medical bills without any public announcement.
• Their third film 'Obama Ungalukaga' (2021) was the only Tamil film to feature a fictionalized version of Barack Obama as a plot device. The idea came from a late-night conversation between the two about what if Obama visited a Tamil village.
• Ravikumar once told a magazine: 'Ramesh is the only actor who can make me laugh even when I'm angry on set. I'd yell 'cut' and he'd still be cracking jokes.'