Manobala & Y. Gee. Mahendra Movies Together List — 3 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-05 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Manobala and Y. Gee. Mahendra appeared together in 3 Tamil films between 2013 and 2023. Their highest-rated collaboration was Kick (2023 — 7.2/10). Films span Thalaivaa (2013) through Kick (2023).
The Manobala & Y. Gee. Mahendra partnership
From Thalaivaa (2013) to Kick (2023). Their most recent film, Kick, came out in 2023 — the partnership is still active. Kick is the one most viewers reach for.
It started with Thalaivaa (2013).
The shape of the work
The 2010s belonged to Kanithan; the 2020s to Kick. Manobala acted in every film; Y. Gee. Mahendra acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Manobala didn't just direct Y. Gee. Mahendra in 'Thalaivaa' (2013) — he cast him as the villain after seeing his stage work. Mahendra later said Manobala was the first filmmaker to trust him with a negative role in cinema.
- On the set of 'Kanithan' (2016), Manobala let Y. Gee. Mahendra improvise entire monologues in Tamil and English. Mahendra's lawyer character got extra scenes because Manobala kept the camera rolling during his ad-libs.
- Manobala and Y. Gee. Mahendra shared a ritual before every shoot: they'd sit together and read the scene aloud in English first, then translate it to Tamil on the spot. Mahendra called it 'our secret rehearsal' in an interview.
- Their third film 'Kick' (2023) was the only one where Manobala didn't direct — he acted alongside Mahendra as a comic sidekick. The film's success (35+ crores) directly led to both of them being cast together again in 'Lal Salaam' (2024).
- Y. Gee. Mahendra once said: 'Manobala doesn't direct actors. He just puts you in a room and lets you find the character yourself. That's why I did three films with him.'
3 films across 2 decades
The 2010s accounted for 2 films, averaging 6.1/10.
The 2020s brought 1 film together, anchored by Kick (7.2/10).
- Kanithan
- Thalaivaa
- Kick
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
3 films across 10 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
When they first worked together, Manobala had 81 films behind them; Y. Gee. Mahendra had 37.
Before Thalaivaa, Manobala had starred in 81 films, including Pithamagan (2003) and Thuppakki (2012).
After Kick, Manobala went on to appear in 7 more films, including Viduthalai: Part II (2024) and Inga Naan Thaan Kingu (2024).
Before Thalaivaa, Y. Gee. Mahendra had starred in 37 films, including Yuddham Sei (2011) and Sringaram (2007).
After Kick, Y. Gee. Mahendra went on to appear in 1 more film, including Charukesi (2026).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Manobala & Y. Gee. Mahendra's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Santhanam is the through-line — cast on 2 of their 3 films.
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