V. S. Raghavan & S. P. Muthuraman Movies Together List — 3 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-05 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
V. S. Raghavan and S. P. Muthuraman appeared together in 3 Tamil films between 1979 and 1985. Their highest-rated collaboration was Vetrikku Oruvan (1979 — 7.5/10). Films span Vetrikku Oruvan (1979) through Nalla Thambi (1985).
The V. S. Raghavan & S. P. Muthuraman partnership
From Vetrikku Oruvan (1979) to Nalla Thambi (1985). The played out closed with Nalla Thambi in 1985. Vetrikku Oruvan is the one most viewers reach for.
It started with Vetrikku Oruvan (1979).
The shape of the work
The 1970s belonged to Vetrikku Oruvan; the 1980s to Nalla Thambi. V. S. Raghavan acted in every film; S. P. Muthuraman directed all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Muthuraman was a struggling assistant director when Raghavan, already a veteran character actor, spotted him on set and told a producer: 'This boy will direct a hit one day.' That producer gave Muthuraman his first break — and Raghavan insisted on acting in that film for free.
- On 'Vetrikku Oruvan' (1979), Raghavan would deliberately flub his lines in the first take just to make Muthuraman laugh and loosen up. The director later said that trick taught him to stay calm under pressure.
- After 'Nalla Thambi' (1985) bombed — it got a 1/10 — Raghavan called Muthuraman at 2 AM and said, 'Don't worry, I've had worse flops. You'll survive.' They never worked together again, but they had dinner every month until Raghavan passed away.
- Muthuraman once told a magazine: 'Raghavan sir was the only actor who would rehearse with me at 5 AM, even when I was a nobody. He treated my first film like it was his own.'
- The success of 'Enkeyo Ketta Kural' (1982) directly led to Muthuraman being offered 'Samsaram Enbathu Veenai' — the film that made him a household name in Tamil cinema.
3 films across 2 decades
The 1970s brought 1 film together, anchored by Vetrikku Oruvan (7.5/10).
The 1980s accounted for 2 films, averaging 1.0/10.
- Vetrikku Oruvan
- Nalla Thambi
- Enkeyo Ketta Kural0
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
3 films across 6 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
By the time of Vetrikku Oruvan, both already had careers — V. S. Raghavan with 31 films, S. P. Muthuraman with 23.
Before Vetrikku Oruvan, V. S. Raghavan had starred in 31 films, including Iru Kodugal (1969) and Pattanathil Bhootham (1967).
After Nalla Thambi, V. S. Raghavan went on to appear in 7 more films, including Magizhchi (2010) and Kamaraj (2004).
Before Vetrikku Oruvan, S. P. Muthuraman had directed 23 films, including Priya (1978) and Aadu Puli Attam (1977).
After Nalla Thambi, S. P. Muthuraman went on to direct 16 more films, including Dharmathin Thalaivan (1988) and Guru Sishyan (1988).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of V. S. Raghavan & S. P. Muthuraman's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Ilayaraja is the through-line — music on 3 of their 3 films. Ilayaraja scored 3 of them.
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