Vadivelu & Chinni Jayanth Movies Together List — 13 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-07-13 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Vadivelu and Chinni Jayanth appeared together in 13 Tamil films between 1993 and 2016. Their highest-rated collaboration was Gokulam (1993 — 7.5/10). Films span Gokulam (1993) through Kaththi Sandai (2016).
The Vadivelu & Chinni Jayanth partnership
After 13 years apart, they came back together for Kaththi Sandai (2016). They didn't share a set between 2003 and 2016. 1996 was their peak — 3 films in twelve months.
Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema. From Gokulam (1993) to Kaththi Sandai (2016).
The shape of the work
The 1990s account for 69% of everything they made together. The 1990s belonged to Gokulam; the 2010s to Kaththi Sandai. Vadivelu acted in every film; Chinni Jayanth acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Their first film together, Gokulam (1993), almost didn't happen. Director P. Vasu wanted a different comedian for the role, but Vadivelu insisted on bringing in Chinni Jayanth — his then-unknown friend from the drama circuit. Vasu agreed only after Vadivelu promised to handle the comedy track himself if Jayanth flopped.
- In Killadi Maappillai (1994), Vadivelu and Chinni Jayanth developed a silent rhythm: Vadivelu would start a joke with loud, physical chaos, then Jayanth would step in with a deadpan one-liner to land the punchline. They never rehearsed — they just nodded at each other before the take.
- For over a decade, Vadivelu and Chinni Jayanth shared a single room in Chennai's Kodambakkam area. Even after both became stars, they refused separate hotel rooms on outdoor shoots — they'd stay up all night discussing old drama scripts and new comedy ideas.
- Their double-act in Piriyadha Varam Vendum (2001) directly inspired director Rajkumar to cast them as a full-fledged comedy duo in Anbu (2003) — a film where they shared more screen time than the lead hero. That film became a template for the 'comedian pair' trend in early 2000s Tamil cinema.
- Chinni Jayanth once said in a 2003 interview: 'Vadivelu doesn't just make me laugh on screen. He makes me laugh in real life, even when the director is yelling at us. That's why our timing works — we're genuinely having fun.'
- After Kaththi Sandai (2016), they stopped speaking for nearly two years. The reason? A misunderstanding over a film offer that Vadivelu felt Jayanth had accepted behind his back. They patched up only in 2019 at a mutual friend's wedding — and immediately started planning a new project that never materialized.
13 films across 3 decades
The 1990s brought 9 films together, anchored by Gokulam (7.5/10).
The 2000s brought 3 films together, anchored by Piriyadha Varam Vendum (7.5/10).
The 2010s accounted for 1 film, averaging 4.7/10.
- Gokulam
- Kadhal Desam
- Piriyadha Varam Vendum
- Anbu
- Kaththi Sandai
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
13 films across 23 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
50% of Vadivelu's screen credits are with Chinni Jayanth.
Before Gokulam, Vadivelu had starred in 4 films, including Thevar Magan (1992) and Singaravelan (1992).
After Kaththi Sandai, Vadivelu went on to appear in 9 more films, including Sivalinga (2017) and Mersal (2017).
Before Gokulam, Chinni Jayanth had starred in 31 films, including Nadigan (1990) and Muthal Vasantham (1986).
After Kaththi Sandai, Chinni Jayanth went on to appear in 11 more films, including Boat (2024) and Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir (2023).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Vadivelu & Chinni Jayanth's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
A. R. Rahman scored 3 of them. Charlie appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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Other iconic Tamil director-actor duos
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