S. P. Muthuraman & Sujatha Movies Together List — 4 Films

The shape of the work

S. P. Muthuraman directed every film; Sujatha acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Sujatha was already a star when Muthuraman cast him in 'Aanpillai Singam' (1975). But the director had to convince the actor to play a double role — Sujatha thought it would be too exhausting. Muthuraman promised to shoot both characters separately and edit them together, a technique that was still new in Tamil cinema then.
• Muthuraman gave Sujatha the freedom to rewrite his own dialogues on set. In 'Vazhndhu Kaattukiren' (1975), Sujatha would often improvise entire monologues during a single take. Muthuraman would just let the camera roll. That film's courtroom scene — where Sujatha's character defends himself — was entirely improvised by the actor.
• The success of 'Mayangukiral Oru Madhu' (1976) directly led to Muthuraman being offered his first big-budget film with Rajinikanth — 'Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri' (1977). Sujatha recommended Muthuraman to the producer after seeing how efficiently he handled the comedy track in that film.
• Muthuraman and Sujatha were neighbours in Chennai's T. Nagar during this period. They would walk to each other's houses at night to discuss the next day's shoot. Sujatha's wife once told a magazine that the two men spent more time together than with their own families during those two years.
• Sujatha once said about Muthuraman: 'He never shouted on set. Even when I messed up a scene, he would just smile and say, "Let's try again, but this time, say it like you're angry at me." That's how I learned to act without tension.'