Ilavarasu & Mayilsamy Movies Together List — 9 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-03 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Ilavarasu and Mayilsamy appeared together in 9 Tamil films between 2003 and 2022. Their highest-rated collaboration was Kangalal Kaidhu Sei (2004 — 7.3/10). Films span Pallavan (2003) through Nenjuku Needhi (2022).
The Ilavarasu & Mayilsamy partnership
2011 was their peak — 3 films in twelve months. Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema. From Pallavan (2003) to Nenjuku Needhi (2022).
Kangalal Kaidhu Sei is the one most viewers reach for. It started with Pallavan (2003).
The shape of the work
The 2000s belonged to Kangalal Kaidhu Sei; the 2020s to Nenjuku Needhi. Ilavarasu acted in every film; Mayilsamy acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Ilavarasu and Mayilsamy first shared screen space in Pallavan (2003), but the director didn't pair them intentionally — both were cast separately for different roles. They only realized they had scenes together on the first day of shoot.
- In Kangalal Kaidhu Sei (2004), Ilavarasu played the stern father while Mayilsamy was the comic relief friend. Mayilsamy later admitted he deliberately underplayed his comedy in their scenes together because Ilavarasu's deadpan reactions got bigger laughs than any punchline.
- During the shoot of Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam (2006), Ilavarasu and Mayilsamy shared a room in a small lodge near the set. Mayilsamy would wake up at 4 AM to rehearse his lines aloud, and Ilavarasu — a light sleeper — never once complained. He just started waking up with him.
- Their double-act in Veeram (2014) — Ilavarasu as the loyal sidekick and Mayilsamy as the bumbling one — directly inspired the comic duo track in the 2017 film Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen, where the director explicitly asked the actors to study their timing.
- Mayilsamy once told a magazine: 'Ilavarasu anna doesn't laugh at my jokes on set. He just stares. That stare is my biggest compliment — it means I made him forget to react.'
- After Ko 2 (2016) — their last film together — the two stopped talking for nearly two years. Reason: a misunderstanding over a missed phone call about a charity event. They patched up only in 2019 at a mutual friend's wedding, where Ilavarasu walked up and said, 'Phone signal problem, da.'
9 films across 3 decades
The 2000s brought 3 films together, anchored by Kangalal Kaidhu Sei (7.3/10).
The 2010s accounted for 5 films, averaging 5.5/10.
The 2020s brought 1 film together, anchored by Nenjuku Needhi (7.1/10).
- Kangalal Kaidhu Sei
- Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam
- Veeram
- Eththan
- Nenjuku Needhi
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
9 films across 19 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
After Nenjuku Needhi, Ilavarasu kept going for 22 more films; Mayilsamy stepped back. By the time of Pallavan, both already had careers — Ilavarasu with 10 films, Mayilsamy with 17.
Before Pallavan, Ilavarasu had starred in 10 films, including University (2002) and Shahjahan (2001).
After Nenjuku Needhi, Ilavarasu went on to appear in 22 more films, including Viduthalai (2023) and PT Sir (2024).
Before Pallavan, Mayilsamy had starred in 17 films, including Vedham (2001) and Mugam (1999).
After Nenjuku Needhi, Mayilsamy went on to appear in 5 more films, including 80's Buildup (2023) and Tamil Kudimagan (2023).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Ilavarasu & Mayilsamy's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Nassar appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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