Vadivelu & Thalaivasal Vijay Movies Together List — 16 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Vadivelu and Thalaivasal Vijay appeared together in 16 Tamil films between 1992 and 2007. Their highest-rated collaboration was Arya (2007 — 7.7/10). Films span Thevar Magan (1992) through Arya (2007).
The Vadivelu & Thalaivasal Vijay partnership
They saved their best for last — Arya (7.7/10) came 15 years in. 2006 was their peak — 3 films in twelve months. For 15 years, a Vadivelu–Thalaivasal film arrived almost every year.
The work is uneven: Arya (7.7) at one end, Maayan (1.0) at the other. From Thevar Magan (1992) to Arya (2007).
The shape of the work
The 2000s account for 63% of everything they made together. The 1990s belonged to Thevar Magan; the 2000s to Arya. Vadivelu acted in every film; Thalaivasal Vijay acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Their first film together, Thevar Magan (1992), was a Kamal Haasan production. Vadivelu was a struggling mimicry artist with just one film behind him. Thalaivasal Vijay was already a known character actor. Kamal paired them as comic relief in a heavy drama — and it worked so well that directors kept casting them together for the next 15 years.
- In Raasaiyya (1995), Vadivelu played the fast-talking sidekick while Thalaivasal Vijay played the straight-faced foil. Vijay would deliberately pause his lines to let Vadivelu's improvisations land — a rhythm they perfected over 10 films. Vijay later said in an interview that he learned comic timing just by watching Vadivelu work.
- Their comedy track in En Swasa Kaatre (1999) — where Vadivelu plays a bumbling cook and Thalaivasal Vijay his exasperated boss — became so popular that the film's producer commissioned a separate comedy album of their scenes. It sold on cassette tapes in local markets.
- Thalaivasal Vijay once revealed that during the shoot of Maayan (2001) — the film that scored a 1/10 — both of them knew the script was a disaster. They spent most of the shoot days playing carrom in the hotel lobby instead of rehearsing. Neither has spoken about the film since.
- "Vadivelu doesn't need a co-star. He needs someone who can stay still and not laugh. That was my job in every film we did together." — Thalaivasal Vijay, in a 2018 interview with a Tamil YouTube channel.
- In Arya (2007), their last film together, Vadivelu played a hyperactive sidekick and Thalaivasal Vijay played a calm father figure. Director Saran said he cast them specifically because their contrasting energies — one always moving, one always still — created a natural comic tension without any dialogue.
16 films across 2 decades
The 1990s accounted for 6 films, averaging 4.3/10.
The 2000s brought 10 films together, anchored by Arya (7.7/10).
- Thevar Magan
- En Swasa Kaatre
- Arya
- Aai
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
16 films across 15 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
30% of Vadivelu's screen credits are with Thalaivasal Vijay. After Arya, Thalaivasal Vijay kept going for 56 more films; Vadivelu stepped back.
Before Thevar Magan, Vadivelu had starred in 1 film, including Aatha Un Koyilile (1991).
After Arya, Vadivelu went on to appear in 36 more films, including Sivalinga (2017) and Mersal (2017).
Before Thevar Magan, Thalaivasal Vijay had starred in 1 film, including Ullathil Nalla Ullam (1988).
After Arya, Thalaivasal Vijay went on to appear in 56 more films, including Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad (2024) and Kaithi (2019).














Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Vadivelu & Thalaivasal Vijay's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Deva scored 6 of them. They worked with the same 9 people again and again — a small repertory company. Roja Selvamani appears alongside them in 4 films — practically a third lead.
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