Manjula Vijayakumar & Manorama Movies Together List — 8 Films

The shape of the work

The 1970s account for 88% of everything they made together. The 1970s belonged to Avan Oru Sarithiram; the 1980s to Engal Thanga Raja. Manjula Vijayakumar acted in every film; Manorama acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Manorama was the one who pushed for Manjula to be cast in En Magan (1973). The director wanted a bigger name, but Manorama insisted Manjula had the right 'middle-class girl' vibe. That film became their first together.
• In Avan Oru Sarithiram (1976), Manorama played the loud, street-smart friend while Manjula was the quiet, suffering heroine. Manjula later said Manorama’s energy on set made her drop her own inhibitions — she started improvising lines because Manorama kept throwing her off-script.
• Their pairing in Madhana Maaligai (1976) was so popular that the director, S. P. Muthuraman, wrote a whole subplot just for their scenes together. That film’s success directly led to Shankar Salim Simon (1978), where they were promoted as a comic duo — a rare thing for two women in 70s Tamil cinema.
• On the sets of Puthu Vellam (1975), Manorama would bring homemade snacks for the entire crew, but she always saved the best piece of murukku for Manjula. Manjula later recalled that Manoroma called her 'thangam' (gold) and treated her like a younger sister — even after the films stopped.
• Manjula Vijayakumar once said in an interview: 'Manorama akka didn't just act with me — she taught me how to hold my own in front of a camera. She'd whisper cues when I forgot lines, and then yell at the director if he made me cry.'