Sivaji Ganesan & R. Krishnamoorthy Movies Together List — 6 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-03 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Sivaji Ganesan and R. Krishnamoorthy appeared together in 6 Tamil films between 1983 and 1985. Films span Imaigal (1983) through Nermai (1985).
The Sivaji Ganesan & R. Krishnamoorthy partnership
Between 1983 and 1985, they barely worked apart — 6 films in 2 years. From Imaigal (1983) to Nermai (1985). The ran closed with Nermai in 1985.
It started with Imaigal (1983).
The shape of the work
Sivaji Ganesan acted in every film; R. Krishnamoorthy directed all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Sivaji Ganesan was initially hesitant to work with R. Krishnamoorthy because the director was known for making quick, low-budget films. But after reading the script for Imaigal (1983), Sivaji called Krishnamoorthy at 2 AM and said, 'I'm in.'
- Krishnamoorthy deliberately wrote long, single-take monologues for Sivaji in Neethipathi (1983) because he knew the actor could hold the camera without cuts. Sivaji, in turn, insisted on no rehearsal for those scenes — he wanted the rawness to surprise even the director.
- Their film Vamsavilakku (1984) directly inspired the 1990s trend of 'family revenge dramas' in Tamil cinema. Director K. S. Ravikumar later admitted he modeled his own blockbuster Nattamai (1994) after the father-son conflict in that film.
- On the sets of Thiruppam (1984), Sivaji would cook his own coffee every morning and share it with Krishnamoorthy. The director later said that ritual was the only thing that kept him calm during the chaotic shoot.
- R. Krishnamoorthy once said about Sivaji: 'He didn't act in my films. He let me borrow his face to tell my stories.' He said this at a 1985 press meet for Nermai.
- In Nam Iruvar (1985), Sivaji played a blind man. Krishnamoorthy shot the entire climax in one continuous take with no dialogue — just Sivaji's facial expressions and the sound of rain. The director later said he learned to trust silence from watching Sivaji work.
6 films across 1 decade
- Imaigal0
- Neethipathi0
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
6 films across 2 years represents focused partnership.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
33% of R. Krishnamoorthy's screen credits are with Sivaji Ganesan. When they first worked together, Sivaji Ganesan had 179 films behind them; R. Krishnamoorthy had 6. After Nermai, Sivaji Ganesan kept going for 28 more films; R. Krishnamoorthy stepped back.
Before Imaigal, Sivaji Ganesan had starred in 179 films, including Thiruvilaiyadal (1965) and Karnan (1964).
After Nermai, Sivaji Ganesan went on to appear in 28 more films, including Mudhal Kural (1992) and Mannukkul Vairam (1986).
Before Imaigal, R. Krishnamoorthy had directed 6 films, including Thee (1981) and Billa (1980).
After Nermai, R. Krishnamoorthy went on to direct 6 more films, including Vetri Karangal (1991) and Annai Enn Deivam (1986).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Sivaji Ganesan & R. Krishnamoorthy's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Prabhu is the through-line — cast on 5 of their 6 films. M. S. Viswanathan scored 5 of them. Prabhu appears alongside them in 5 films — practically a third lead.
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