Imman Annachi & A. Venkatesh Movies Together List — 4 Films

The shape of the work

The 2010s account for 75% of everything they made together. The 2010s belonged to Nethraa; the 2020s to Dhil Raja. Imman Annachi acted in every film; A. Venkatesh directed all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Venkatesh cast Annachi in Sandamarutham (2015) after seeing him in a small comedy role in another film. Annachi was hesitant — he thought the director wanted a 'hero' look, not his usual comic face. Venkatesh convinced him over a single phone call.
• On the sets of Nethraa (2019), Venkatesh would let Annachi improvise his dialogue in the second take. Annachi's ad-libs became the film's most shared scenes on social media. Venkatesh later said he kept the camera rolling just to catch those moments.
• Nethraa (2019) was a sleeper hit that directly led to Venkatesh getting a bigger budget for his next film. Annachi's comic timing in that film was the reason the producer greenlit Dhil Raja (2024) without a bound script.
• Between films, Venkatesh and Annachi would meet at a small tea stall in Kodambakkam every Sunday morning. They never discussed work — just cricket and old films. The stall owner says they never missed a single Sunday for three years straight.
• Annachi once told a local YouTube channel: 'Venkatesh sir is the only director who lets me be stupid on screen without judging me. He knows my madness has a method.'