Sukumari & Nagesh Movies Together List — 10 Films

The shape of the work

The 1970s belonged to Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal; the 2000s to Poovellam Un Vasam. Sukumari acted in every film; Nagesh acted in all of them.

Partnership facts

• In 'Poove Unakkaga' (1996), Sukumari plays Nagesh's wife — and their on-screen bickering over a missing lottery ticket became a scene that Tamil family audiences still mimic at home.
• Their first film together, 'Maru Piravi' (1973), was a reincarnation drama where they played a married couple — and it ran for over 100 days in Chennai, a rare feat for a non-star-driven film that year.
• After 'Kadal Meengal' (1981), Nagesh specifically requested Sukumari for his next project because she was the only actress who could match his rapid-fire comic timing without missing a beat.
• Nagesh once said in an interview: 'Sukumari is the only co-star who made me forget my lines because I was laughing so hard at her reactions.'
• In 'Putham Pudhu Payanam' (1991), their scene as an elderly couple arguing over a bus seat became a template for Tamil cinema's 'old couple comedy' trope — copied in at least three later films.
• Their final film together, 'Poovellam Un Vasam' (2001), marked the only time they played a mother-son duo — and it was Nagesh's last theatrical release before his health declined.