Ilayaraja & Manorama Movies Together — 61 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
About This Collaboration
Ilayaraja & Manorama have worked together on 61 films in Indian cinema. Their collaboration began in 1977 and extends to 2000, representing 23 years of joint work. Working Ilayaraja as Music Composer and Manorama 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 "Enakkul Oruvan", "Manidharil Ithanai Nirangala", "Kalyanaraman" — with "Enakkul Oruvan" earning a top rating of 8.5/10. Across all their joint films, they maintain an average audience rating of 3.9/10 — an average that reflects a challenging run — several films fell below audience expectations.
Their most productive period was the 1990s, when they delivered 27 films that shaped the era's cinema. The bulk of their work is in Tamil cinema. From "Dheepam" (1977) to "Thirunelveli" (2000), 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
Dheepam was Ilayaraja's acting debut.
After Thirunelveli, Ilayaraja went on to appear in 44 more films, including Pithamagan (2003) and Merku Thodarchi Malai (2018).
Before Dheepam, Manorama had starred in 82 films, including Server Sundaram (1964) and Muhammad bin Tughluq (1971).
After Thirunelveli, Manorama went on to appear in 28 more films, including Piriyadha Varam Vendum (2001) and Periyar (2007).
Collaboration DNA
Partnership Pattern
61 films across 23 years represents focused partnership.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Creative Evolution
- Manidharil Ithanai Nirangala
- Kalyanaraman
- Enakkul Oruvan
- Antha Sila Naatkal
- Nadigan
- En Kitta Mothathey
- Thirunelveli
This duo's 61-film partnership spans 4 decades of Indian cinema, with their most productive period being the 1990s when they delivered 27 films that defined the era.




































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