Nagesh & Rajasekhar Movies Together List — 3 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-02 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Nagesh and Rajasekhar appeared together in 3 Tamil films between 1982 and 1986. Their highest-rated collaboration was Amma (1982 — 6.5/10). Films span Amma (1982) through Maaveeran (1986).
The Nagesh & Rajasekhar partnership
From Amma (1982) to Maaveeran (1986). The played out closed with Maaveeran in 1986. It started with Amma (1982).
The shape of the work
Nagesh acted in every film; Rajasekhar directed all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Nagesh was already a comedy legend when he agreed to play Rajasekhar's father in 'Amma' (1982). Rajasekhar was just 10 films old. The director had to convince Nagesh that the younger actor could carry the emotional weight of the father-son scenes.
- In 'Padikkadavan' (1985), Nagesh deliberately slowed down his comic timing to match Rajasekhar's raw, unpolished energy. Rajasekhar later admitted that Nagesh taught him how to pause for a laugh without breaking character.
- During the shoot of 'Maaveeran' (1986), Nagesh would sit with Rajasekhar between takes and feed him lines in a different dialect. Rajasekhar said Nagesh was the only co-star who corrected his diction without making him feel small.
- Rajasekhar once said in a 1990s interview: 'Nagesh sir didn't treat me like a hero. He treated me like a student. And I needed that. Every scene with him was a class.'
- Their father-son dynamic in 'Amma' (1982) was so well-received that the director reused the same emotional beats for a later film with a different pair. That film became a minor hit, but fans still compare it unfavorably to the original Nagesh-Rajasekhar version.
3 films across 1 decade
- Amma
- Padikkadavan
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
3 films across 4 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
When they first worked together, Nagesh had 232 films behind them; Rajasekhar had 4. After Maaveeran, Nagesh kept going for 42 more films; Rajasekhar stepped back.
Before Amma, Nagesh had starred in 232 films, including Thiruvilaiyadal (1965) and Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (1976).
After Maaveeran, Nagesh went on to appear in 42 more films, including Kadhal Kondein (2003) and Cheran Pandiyan (1991).
Before Amma, Rajasekhar had directed 4 films, including Nizhalgal (1980) and Jeene Ki Arzoo (1981).
After Maaveeran, Rajasekhar went on to direct 23 more films, including Koolikaran (1987) and Mahankali (2013).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Nagesh & Rajasekhar's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Ambika is the through-line — cast on 2 of their 3 films.
Other iconic Tamil director-actor duos
Discover other partnerships with comparable filmographies and ratings
