Vadivelu & Roja Selvamani Movies Together List — 16 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-03 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Vadivelu and Roja Selvamani appeared together in 16 Tamil films between 1995 and 2011. Their highest-rated collaboration was Mitta Miraasu (2001 — 6.7/10). Films span Raasaiyya (1995) through Kaavalan (2011).
The Vadivelu & Roja Selvamani partnership
Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema. 2001 was their peak — 3 films in twelve months. For 16 years, a Vadivelu–Roja film arrived almost every year.
The work is uneven: Mitta Miraasu (6.7) at one end, Maayan (1.0) at the other. From Raasaiyya (1995) to Kaavalan (2011).
The shape of the work
The 2000s account for 63% of everything they made together. The 1990s belonged to Housefull; the 2010s to Kaavalan. Vadivelu acted in every film; Roja Selvamani acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Vadivelu was a struggling mimicry artist when Roja Selvamani, already a star, insisted he be cast as her comedy sidekick in Raasaiyya (1995). She had seen his stage act and told the director, 'No Vadivelu, no film.' That film launched his big-screen career.
- Roja Selvamani had a rule on set: she would never laugh at Vadivelu's jokes during a take. She told him, 'If I laugh, the audience won't.' So he had to work harder to make her break character — and that tension made their scenes crackle.
- Their 11-film run created a template for the 'heroine-comic duo' in Tamil cinema — a formula later copied by pairs like Jyothika and Vivek. Directors started writing separate comedy tracks specifically for the heroine's sidekick because of how well Roja and Vadivelu bounced off each other.
- Off-screen, Roja Selvamani was the only co-star Vadivelu called 'Akka' (elder sister). She once bailed him out of a financial crisis in the early 2000s by advancing his payment for Looty (2001) without telling the producer.
- Vadivelu once said in a 2006 interview: 'Roja akka is the reason I stopped being a mimicry artist and became an actor. She trusted me when no one else would give me a second look.'
- In Maayan (2001) — their worst-rated film — Roja Selvamani deliberately flubbed her lines in multiple takes just to keep Vadivelu's improvisations fresh. She later admitted, 'I knew the script was weak, so I made him invent jokes on the spot.'
16 films across 3 decades
The 1990s accounted for 5 films, averaging 3.9/10.
The 2000s accounted for 10 films, averaging 4.6/10.
The 2010s accounted for 1 film, averaging 6.2/10.
- Housefull
- Raasaiyya
- Mitta Miraasu
- Arasu
- Kaavalan
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
16 films across 16 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 Roja Selvamani. By the time of Raasaiyya, both already had careers — Vadivelu with 23 films, Roja Selvamani with 18.
Before Raasaiyya, Vadivelu had starred in 23 films, including Kizhakku Cheemayile (1993) and Gokulam (1993).
After Kaavalan, Vadivelu went on to appear in 14 more films, including Sivalinga (2017) and Mersal (2017).
Before Raasaiyya, Roja Selvamani had starred in 18 films, including Veera (1994) and Bobbili Simham (1994).
After Kaavalan, Roja Selvamani went on to appear in 9 more films, including Masani (2013) and En Vazhi Thani Vazhi (2015).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Vadivelu & Roja Selvamani's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Deva scored 5 of them. They worked with the same 10 people again and again — a small repertory company. Kovai Sarala appears alongside them in 4 films — practically a third lead.
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