Ilayaraja & Poornam Viswanathan Movies Together — 18 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
About This Collaboration
Ilayaraja & Poornam Viswanathan have worked together on 18 films in Indian cinema. Their collaboration began in 1979 and extends to 1994, representing 15 years of joint work. Working Ilayaraja as Music Composer and Poornam Viswanathan as Actor, their pairing brought together complementary creative strengths that carved out a distinctive niche despite uneven audience reception.
Among their most acclaimed works are "Naan Vazhavaippen", "Payanangal Mudivathillai", "Moondru Mugam" — with "Naan Vazhavaippen" earning a top rating of 7.5/10. Across all their joint films, they maintain an average audience rating of 4.9/10 — an average that reflects a challenging run — several films fell below audience expectations.
Their most productive period was the 1980s, when they delivered 13 films that shaped the era's cinema. The bulk of their work is in Tamil cinema. From "Naan Vazhavaippen" (1979) to "Mahanadi" (1994), their partnership has evolved through shifting industry landscapes while maintaining its artistic core.
This page brings together their complete joint filmography, a year-by-year timeline of the partnership, the extended network of directors, actors, and crew they shared across projects, and a curated list of similar creative pairings you may want to explore.
Career Context
Naan Vazhavaippen was Ilayaraja's acting debut.
After Mahanadi, Ilayaraja went on to appear in 118 more films, including Pithamagan (2003) and Merku Thodarchi Malai (2018).
Before Naan Vazhavaippen, Poornam Viswanathan had starred in 7 films, including Rickshawkaran (1971) and Naan Avanillai (1974).
After Mahanadi, Poornam Viswanathan went on to appear in 2 more films, including Thamizh (2002) and Aasai (1995).
Collaboration DNA
Partnership Pattern
18 films across 15 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Creative Evolution
- Naan Vazhavaippen
- Payanangal Mudivathillai
- Moondru Mugam
- Mahanadi
- Meera
This duo's 18-film partnership spans 3 decades of Indian cinema, with their most productive period being the 1980s when they delivered 13 films that defined the era.















Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Ilayaraja & Poornam Viswanathan's professional partnership
Shared Crew
People who worked on Ilayaraja & Poornam Viswanathan's films together
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