Sarath Kumar & Sundar C. Movies Together List — 3 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-05 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Sarath Kumar and Sundar C. appeared together in 3 Tamil films between 1997 and 2001. Their highest-rated collaboration was Rishi (2001 — 4.3/10). Films span Janakiraman (1997) through Rishi (2001).
The Sarath Kumar & Sundar C. partnership
From Janakiraman (1997) to Rishi (2001). The played out closed with Rishi in 2001. It started with Janakiraman (1997).
The shape of the work
The 1990s belonged to Janakiraman; the 2000s to Rishi. Sarath Kumar acted in every film; Sundar C. directed all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Sundar C. cast Sarath Kumar in 'Janakiraman' (1997) after seeing his intensity in 'Nattamai' — but the real spark was Sundar rewriting the entire second half to match Sarath's towering screen presence, turning a routine role into a mass hero showcase.
- On the sets of 'Rishi' (2001), Sundar C. would deliberately give Sarath Kumar only half the dialogue for a scene, forcing him to improvise the rest — that raw, unscripted energy became the film's signature style.
- The success of 'Ullam Kollai Poguthae' (2001) directly led to Sundar C. launching his own production banner, Avni Cinemax — he used the film's profits to fund his next project, proving this duo could bankroll a career shift.
- Sarath Kumar and Sundar C. had a standing bet on every film: if the movie crossed 100 days, Sundar had to cook a full Kerala-style feast for the entire crew. He lost all three times.
- Sarath Kumar once said in a 2002 interview: 'Sundar is the only director who lets me be a complete fool on screen and still makes me look like a hero.'
3 films across 2 decades
The 1990s accounted for 1 film, averaging 3.8/10.
The 2000s accounted for 2 films, averaging 4.3/10.
- Janakiraman
- Rishi
- Ullam Kollai Poguthae
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
3 films across 4 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, Sarath Kumar had 48 films behind them; Sundar C. had 4.
Before Janakiraman, Sarath Kumar had starred in 48 films, including Cheran Pandiyan (1991) and En Kitta Mothathey (1990).
After Rishi, Sarath Kumar went on to appear in 52 more films, including Peranbu (2019) and Por Thozhil (2023).
Before Janakiraman, Sundar C. had directed 4 films, including Murai Maman (1995) and Ullathai Allitha (1996).
After Rishi, Sundar C. went on to direct 53 more films, including Anbe Sivam (2003) and Naan Sirithal (2020).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Sarath Kumar & Sundar C.'s professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Senthil is the through-line — cast on 2 of their 3 films.
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