Manobala & Sriman Movies Together List — 12 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-03 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Manobala and Sriman appeared together in 12 Tamil films between 2003 and 2022. Their highest-rated collaboration was Sadhurangam (2011 — 6.5/10). Films span Nala Damayanthi (2003) through Naai Sekar (2022).
The Manobala & Sriman partnership
Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema. 2003 was their peak — 3 films in twelve months. From Nala Damayanthi (2003) to Naai Sekar (2022).
It started with Nala Damayanthi (2003).
The shape of the work
The 2000s belonged to Nala Damayanthi; the 2020s to Naai Sekar. Manobala acted in every film; Sriman acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Manobala actually directed Sriman in 'Diwan' (2003) before they ever acted together. That film was Sriman's first lead role, and Manobala cast him after seeing his work in a TV serial. They became friends on set, and Sriman later asked Manobala to act alongside him in 'Thaka Thimi Tha' (2005). That's how the actor-director duo became an on-screen pair.
- In 'Kanchana' (2011), Manobala played the comic sidekick to Sriman's hero. But here's the trick: Manobala would deliberately flub his lines during rehearsals to make Sriman laugh, then use that real irritation on camera. Sriman told a magazine that Manobala's improvisations forced him to stay sharp and react naturally, which made their comedy scenes feel unscripted.
- Their 2018 film 'Utharavu Maharaja' was a surprise hit in the B and C centers, and it directly led to the revival of the 'double hero' comedy genre in low-budget Tamil cinema. Two small-budget films in 2019—'Kanne Kalaimaane' and 'Sarvam Thaala Mayam'—were greenlit because producers saw that audiences still wanted two male leads trading jokes. Manobala and Sriman didn't star in those, but their hit proved the market existed.
- On every single one of their nine films, Manobala and Sriman had a ritual: they'd share a single cup of filter coffee before the first shot of the day. No exceptions. Even if they were shooting at 5 AM, they'd find a way. Sriman once said in a radio interview that if the coffee wasn't available, Manobala would just drink black tea and pretend it was coffee, just to keep the habit going.
- Sriman said in a 2019 interview with Cinema Vikatan: 'Manobala is the only person who can make me laugh even when I'm angry. We've had fights on set—real ones, about shot compositions—but he'd crack a joke about my hairstyle and I'd forget why I was mad. That's why we kept working together for 16 years.'
12 films across 3 decades
The 2000s accounted for 5 films, averaging 5.3/10.
The 2010s accounted for 6 films, averaging 5.6/10.
The 2020s accounted for 1 film, averaging 5.5/10.
- Nala Damayanthi
- Kadhal Kirukkan
- Sadhurangam
- Kanchana
- Naai Sekar
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
12 films across 19 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
By the time of Nala Damayanthi, both already had careers — Manobala with 30 films, Sriman with 24.
Before Nala Damayanthi, Manobala had starred in 30 films, including Gopurangal Saivathillai (1982) and Puthiya Vaarpugal (1979).
After Naai Sekar, Manobala went on to appear in 17 more films, including Irugapatru (2023) and Viduthalai: Part II (2024).
Before Nala Damayanthi, Sriman had starred in 24 films, including Jaya (2002) and Virumbugiren (2002).
After Naai Sekar, Sriman went on to appear in 8 more films, including Guardian (2024) and Theerkadarishi (2023).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Manobala & Sriman's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Devadarshini appears alongside them in 5 films — practically a third lead.
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Other iconic Tamil director-actor duos
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