Sarath Kumar & Kushboo Movies Together List — 6 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Sarath Kumar and Kushboo appeared together in 6 Tamil films between 1990 and 2023. Their highest-rated collaboration was En Kitta Mothathey (1990 — 7.5/10). Films span En Kitta Mothathey (1990) through Varisu (2023).
The Sarath Kumar & Kushboo partnership
After 22 years apart, they came back together for Varisu (2023). They didn't share a set between 2001 and 2023. Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema.
From En Kitta Mothathey (1990) to Varisu (2023). Their most recent film, Varisu, came out in 2023 — the partnership is still active.
The shape of the work
The 1990s account for 67% of everything they made together. The 1990s belonged to En Kitta Mothathey; the 2020s to Varisu. Sarath Kumar acted in every film; Kushboo acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Their first film together, En Kitta Mothathey (1990), almost didn't happen. Director R. Sundarrajan was hesitant to cast Kushboo opposite a relatively new Sarath Kumar. Kushboo insisted after seeing his screen test, telling the director, 'He has the intensity. Trust me.'
- In Nattamai (1994), Kushboo deliberately slowed down her dialogue delivery to match Sarath Kumar's measured, rustic style. She later told a magazine that she realized their scenes worked only when she let him set the rhythm — otherwise, the energy felt mismatched.
- Their 1998 film Simmarasi directly inspired the trend of 'village hero vs. urban villain' plots in late-90s Tamil cinema. At least three low-budget films in 1999 copied its core conflict — a city-bred woman (Kushboo) learning to respect a traditional man (Sarath).
- On the sets of Vedan (1993), Sarath Kumar and Kushboo developed a private ritual: before every emotional scene, they would step aside and share a single cigarette in silence. Neither smoked otherwise. They kept this up through all six films, including Varisu (2023).
- Kushboo said in a 2023 interview about Varisu: 'Sarath and I don't need to rehearse anymore. We just look at each other and know exactly where the scene is going. That's 33 years of trust.'
- Vinnukum Mannukum (2001) was originally offered to another leading pair. Sarath Kumar personally called Kushboo and asked her to come aboard, saying, 'If you don't do it, I won't either.' She signed the next day.
6 films across 3 decades
The 1990s brought 4 films together, anchored by En Kitta Mothathey (7.5/10).
The 2000s accounted for 1 film, averaging 6.5/10.
The 2020s accounted for 1 film, averaging 5.8/10.
- En Kitta Mothathey
- Nattamai
- Vinnukum Mannukum
- Varisu
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
6 films across 33 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
67% of Sarath Kumar's screen credits are with Kushboo.
Before En Kitta Mothathey, Sarath Kumar had starred in 1 film, including Kan Simittum Neram (1988).
After Varisu, Sarath Kumar went on to appear in 2 more films, including Hit List (2024) and Alangu (2024).
Before En Kitta Mothathey, Kushboo had starred in 7 films, including Meri Jung (1985) and Dharmathin Thalaivan (1988).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Sarath Kumar & Kushboo's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Manorama is the through-line — cast on 3 of their 6 films. Manorama appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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