Sivaji Ganesan & Major Sundarrajan Movies Together List — 39 Films

The shape of the work

The 1960s belonged to Deiva Magan; the 1980s to Thyagi. Major Sundarrajan actor in some, director in others. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Their first film together, Motor Sundaram Pillai (1966), was a comedy where Sivaji played a bus driver and Major Sundarrajan played his sidekick. The director, A. P. Nagarajan, paired them on a whim — and audiences loved the contrast so much that they made 31 more films together.
• In Thanga Pathakkam (1974), Sivaji played the stern, righteous father while Major Sundarrajan played the comic relief servant. The trick was simple: Major would improvise one-liners during Sivaji's serious scenes, and Sivaji would react with genuine surprise — that's why their banter feels so alive.
• Their 1972 film Vasantha Maligai launched the career of composer M. S. Viswanathan's favorite playback singer, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam — it was his first major Tamil hit. The film's songs became a template for romantic duets in the 70s.
• Major Sundarrajan was a real-life army major who left the military to act. Sivaji personally convinced him to stay in cinema after his first few films flopped. They remained close off-screen — Major was the only co-star Sivaji invited to his son's wedding.
• Sivaji once said about Major Sundarrajan: 'He could make me laugh even when I was in the middle of a crying scene. I had to beg him to stop joking before the camera rolled.'
• In Gnana Oli (1972), a mythological film, Sivaji played the sage Narada and Major played his comic sidekick. Major's role was entirely improvised — he'd ad-lib modern slang into ancient dialogues, and Sivaji would deadpan his way through, making the contrast work.