Rajinikanth & Nagesh Movies Together List — 8 Films

The shape of the work

The 1980s account for 63% of everything they made together. The 1970s belonged to Apoorva Raagangal; the 1980s to Thillu Mullu. Rajinikanth acted in every film; Nagesh acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Rajinikanth was already a star when Nagesh — a legendary comedian — was cast as his sidekick in Natchathiram (1980). But Nagesh reportedly insisted on rewriting his own lines because he felt the original script made him look too foolish next to Rajini. The director let him. That film set the tone for their entire run.
• In Anbukku Naan Adimai (1980), Nagesh played a comic relief character who constantly tries to outsmart Rajinikanth's hero. But on set, Nagesh would deliberately flub his lines to make Rajini laugh — forcing Rajini to stay in character and react naturally. That improv became the scene's actual energy.
• Padikkadavan (1985) was a flop, but it directly inspired a younger generation of Tamil comedians to try pairing with action heroes. Without this film's specific dynamic — where Nagesh played a cowardly uncle to Rajini's tough guy — you wouldn't get the later Vadivelu-Vijay combo in films like Friends (2001).
• Off-screen, Nagesh was 20 years older than Rajinikanth and had been acting since the 1950s. He called Rajini 'thambi' (younger brother) on every shoot. Rajini, in turn, would wait for Nagesh to finish his tea before starting a scene — a small ritual that continued across all four films.
• Rajinikanth once said in a 1990s interview: 'Nagesh sir taught me that comedy is not about making people laugh — it's about making them forget they're watching a film. I learned that by watching him from across the frame.'