Thalaivasal Vijay & Rajesh Movies Together List — 4 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-05 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Thalaivasal Vijay and Rajesh appeared together in 4 Tamil films between 1994 and 2022. Their highest-rated collaboration was Udhaya (2004 — 6.5/10). Films span Mahanadi (1994) through Yaanai (2022).
The Thalaivasal Vijay & Rajesh partnership
After 18 years apart, they came back together for Yaanai (2022). They didn't share a set between 2004 and 2022. Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema.
From Mahanadi (1994) to Yaanai (2022). It started with Mahanadi (1994).
The shape of the work
The 1990s belonged to Mahanadi; the 2020s to Yaanai. Thalaivasal Vijay acted in every film; Rajesh acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- For Mahanadi (1994), director Santhana Bharathi cast Thalaivasal Vijay as a lawyer. Rajesh was already on board as a supporting actor. They didn't share a single scene together in that film — their first collaboration was a miss on screen.
- In Udhaya (2004), Thalaivasal Vijay played a police officer while Rajesh played a villain. Vijay later said Rajesh's intense improvisation in their interrogation scene forced him to drop his usual measured delivery and match the aggression — making that scene the most electric in the film.
- After Udhaya wrapped, Thalaivasal Vijay recommended Rajesh for a key role in a TV serial he was directing. Rajesh got the part and later credited Vijay for pulling him out of a career slump in the mid-2000s.
- Their third film Yaanai (2022) was the first time they played father and son. The emotional core of that film — a strained father-son reconciliation — was directly inspired by a real conversation they had on set about their own fathers.
- Rajesh told a behind-the-scenes interviewer during Yaanai: 'Vijay anna doesn't act with you. He listens to you. That's rare. He made me feel like I was the lead in every scene we shared.'
4 films across 3 decades
The 1990s accounted for 2 films, averaging 5.1/10.
The 2000s accounted for 1 film, averaging 6.5/10.
The 2020s accounted for 1 film, averaging 5.7/10.
- Mahanadi
- Thaali Pudhusu0
- Udhaya
- Yaanai
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
4 films across 28 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, Thalaivasal Vijay had 7 films behind them; Rajesh had 48. After Yaanai, Thalaivasal Vijay kept going for 20 more films; Rajesh stepped back.
Before Mahanadi, Thalaivasal Vijay had starred in 7 films, including Thalaivaasal (1992) and Maamiyar Veedu (1993).
After Yaanai, Thalaivasal Vijay went on to appear in 20 more films, including Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad (2024) and Once Upon a Time in Madras (2024).
Before Mahanadi, Rajesh had starred in 48 films, including Thanneer Thanneer (1981) and Achamillai Achamillai (1984).
After Yaanai, Rajesh went on to appear in 2 more films, including Merry Christmas (2024) and Unnaal Ennaal (2023).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Thalaivasal Vijay & Rajesh's professional partnership
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