Vadivelu & Malavika Movies Together List — 6 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-05 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Vadivelu and Malavika appeared together in 6 Tamil films between 2000 and 2007. Their highest-rated collaboration was Chandramukhi (2005 — 7.0/10). Films span Kandha Kadamba Kathir Vela (2000) through Viyabari (2007).
The Vadivelu & Malavika partnership
Between 2000 and 2007, they barely worked apart — 6 films in 7 years. For 7 years, a Vadivelu–Malavika film arrived almost every year. From Kandha Kadamba Kathir Vela (2000) to Viyabari (2007).
Chandramukhi is the one most viewers reach for. It started with Kandha Kadamba Kathir Vela (2000).
The shape of the work
Vadivelu acted in every film; Malavika acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Vadivelu and Malavika first shared screen space in 'Kandha Kadamba Kathir Vela' (2000) only because the director, S. A. Chandrasekhar, needed a fresh comic pair to balance the film's serious tone. He paired them almost randomly — neither had worked with the other before, and the film's low rating (3.8/10) meant nobody expected them to click again.
- In 'Chandramukhi' (2005), Vadivelu's physical comedy — especially his exaggerated fear of the ghost — worked because Malavika played the straight, terrified woman. She didn't try to be funny. Her genuine panic gave him a real reaction to bounce off, making his jokes land harder. That film became a blockbuster partly because of that rhythm.
- Their pairing in 'Chandramukhi' (2005) directly inspired director K. S. Ravikumar to cast Vadivelu as the comic relief in his next horror-comedy 'Muni' (2007) — but without Malavika. The success of their dynamic made producers realize a solo comedian could carry a horror film's lighter moments, kick-starting a mini-trend of horror-comedies in Tamil cinema.
- On the sets of 'Pasa Kiligal' (2006), Vadivelu and Malavika reportedly had a running joke: he would deliberately flub his lines in the first take to make her laugh, and she would retaliate by breaking character mid-scene. The director had to schedule extra takes just for their giggles.
6 films across 1 decade
- Chandramukhi
- Viyabari
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
6 films across 7 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
38% of Malavika's screen credits are with Vadivelu. When they first worked together, Vadivelu had 65 films behind them; Malavika had 4. After Viyabari, Vadivelu kept going for 36 more films; Malavika stepped back.
Before Kandha Kadamba Kathir Vela, Vadivelu had starred in 65 films, including Kizhakku Cheemayile (1993) and Sangamam (1999).
After Viyabari, Vadivelu went on to appear in 36 more films, including Sivalinga (2017) and Mersal (2017).
Before Kandha Kadamba Kathir Vela, Malavika had starred in 4 films, including Unnaithedi (1999) and Pooparika Varugirom (1999).
After Viyabari, Malavika went on to appear in 6 more films, including Anjaneyulu (2009) and Singakutty (2008).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Vadivelu & Malavika's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Nassar is the through-line — cast on 3 of their 6 films. Deva scored 3 of them. Nassar appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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