R. Krishnamoorthy & Jaishankar Movies Together List — 6 Films

The shape of the work

The 1980s account for 83% of everything they made together. The 1970s belonged to Then Kinnam; the 1980s to Savaal. R. Krishnamoorthy directed every film; Jaishankar acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Jaishankar was already a star when he agreed to do Then Kinnam (1971). But he insisted on casting R. Krishnamoorthy, then a newcomer, as his co-star. Krishnamoorthy later said Jaishankar personally vouched for him to the producer.
• In Savaal (1981), Jaishankar played the angry, loud hero. Krishnamoorthy played the quiet, suffering brother. The director said Krishnamoorthy’s stillness made Jaishankar’s outbursts land harder — they fed off each other’s energy without ever competing.
• On the sets of Thiruppam (1984), Jaishankar would cook biryani for the entire crew every Sunday. Krishnamoorthy was his designated chopper of onions. They did this for every film they worked on together after that.
• Annai Enn Deivam (1986) was a box office disaster. But it directly inspired a young director named K. S. Ravikumar to cast both actors together again in Dravidan (1989) — his debut film. Ravikumar said he wrote the role of the villain specifically for Krishnamoorthy because of their earlier pairing.
• Jaishankar once told a magazine: 'Krishnamoorthy is the only actor who can make me look good without trying. He gives me space on screen. I never had to fight for my close-ups with him.'
• Their last film together, Dravidan (1989), almost didn't happen. Krishnamoorthy had a scheduling conflict with another project. Jaishankar personally drove to his house at midnight, sat on his doorstep, and refused to leave until Krishnamoorthy said yes.