Manobala & Nellai Siva Movies Together List — 6 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Manobala and Nellai Siva appeared together in 6 Tamil films between 2015 and 2020. Their highest-rated collaboration was Kalaivendhan (2015 — 7.0/10). Films span Thunai Mudhalvar (2015) through Pachai Vilakku (2020).
The Manobala & Nellai Siva partnership
Between 2015 and 2020, they barely worked apart — 6 films in 5 years. 2015 was their peak — 3 films in twelve months. For 5 years, a Manobala–Nellai film arrived almost every year.
From Thunai Mudhalvar (2015) to Pachai Vilakku (2020). Kalaivendhan is the one most viewers reach for.
The shape of the work
The 2010s account for 83% of everything they made together. The 2010s belonged to Kalaivendhan; the 2020s to Pachai Vilakku. Manobala acted in every film; Nellai Siva acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Manobala and Nellai Siva first teamed up for Thunai Mudhalvar (2015) because Siva needed a director who could shoot fast on a tiny budget. Manobala, known for finishing films in record time, said yes without reading the full script.
- On the set of Vindhai (2015), Manobala would let Nellai Siva rewrite his own dialogues on the spot. Siva’s natural comedy timing changed the tone of the film so much that Manobala started writing scenes specifically for him to improvise.
- Their 2019 hit Impathu Roova launched a small-budget trend in Tamil cinema — other producers started copying their formula of shooting a full comedy film in under 15 days with a single set.
- During the shoot of Andaman (2016), Manobala and Nellai Siva shared a room in a cheap lodge near the set. They would stay up past midnight every night, arguing over which old Tamil comedy scene was the funniest ever made.
- Nellai Siva once said in an interview: 'Manobala sir never said 'cut' until I ran out of jokes. He let me keep going until the camera battery died.'
6 films across 2 decades
The 2010s brought 5 films together, anchored by Kalaivendhan (7.0/10).
The 2020s accounted for 1 film, averaging 5.5/10.
- Kalaivendhan
- Vindhai
- Pachai Vilakku
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
6 films across 5 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
40% of Nellai Siva's screen credits are with Manobala. When they first worked together, Manobala had 115 films behind them; Nellai Siva had 3. After Pachai Vilakku, Manobala kept going for 33 more films; Nellai Siva stepped back.
Before Thunai Mudhalvar, Manobala had starred in 115 films, including Pithamagan (2003) and Thuppakki (2012).
After Pachai Vilakku, Manobala went on to appear in 33 more films, including Irugapatru (2023) and Viduthalai: Part II (2024).
Before Thunai Mudhalvar, Nellai Siva had starred in 3 films, including Kannum Kannum (2008) and Winner (2003).
After Pachai Vilakku, Nellai Siva went on to appear in 6 more films, including Jananayagam Virpanaikku Alla (2022) and Pei Irukka Bayamen (2021).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Manobala & Nellai Siva's professional partnership
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