Samuthirakani & Rajendran Movies Together List — 7 Films

The shape of the work

The 2010s belonged to Pettikadai; the 2020s to Vimanam. Samuthirakani acted in every film; Rajendran acted in all of them.

Partnership facts

• Samuthirakani and Rajendran first shared screen space in Adhibar (2015), but the pairing almost didn't happen. Rajendran was initially hesitant to take the role because he felt his character was too small. Samuthirakani personally called him and said, 'Trust me, this role will be remembered.' Rajendran agreed, and the scene where they argue over a bus ticket became a talking point among fans.
• In Madura Veeran (2018), Samuthirakani played the intense, brooding hero while Rajendran was the comic relief sidekick. But here's the trick: Rajendran would deliberately flub his lines in the first take to make Samuthirakani laugh and loosen up. Samuthirakani told a behind-the-scenes crew that Rajendran's improvisations forced him to stay on his toes, making their banter feel real and unscripted.
• Their 2019 film Pettikadai directly inspired a wave of small-town buddy comedies in Tamil cinema. After its hit run, at least three producers greenlit similar 'two friends in a village' scripts, including the 2021 film 'MGR Magan' which tried to replicate their dynamic. Rajendran later joked in an interview, 'We started a trend without meaning to.'
• On the sets of Maniyaar Kudumbam (2018), Samuthirakani and Rajendran had a running bet: whoever forgot their lines first had to buy the other a box of 'Mysore Pak' from a specific shop in Madurai. Rajendran lost the bet three times during the shoot. The crew still talks about the day Samuthirakani showed up with 12 boxes of sweets for the entire unit.
• After Garudan (2024) became their biggest hit together, Rajendran said in a press meet: 'Samuthirakani is the only actor who can make me cry and laugh in the same scene. He doesn't act with me — he reacts to me. That's why our fights look real.'
• In Vimanam (2023), their roles were reversed: Rajendran played the serious, emotionally wounded father while Samuthirakani was the quirky, supportive friend. Samuthirakani later revealed that he insisted on this swap because he wanted to 'challenge Rajendran's range.' The scene where Rajendran breaks down in the hospital was shot in one take — Samuthirakani stayed off-camera and fed him dialogue in real-time to keep the emotion raw.