Manobala & Ramesh Khanna Movies Together List — 6 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Manobala and Ramesh Khanna appeared together in 6 Tamil films between 1999 and 2017. Their highest-rated collaboration was Priyasakhi (2005 — 6.5/10). Films span Chinna Raja (1999) through Jeyikkira Kuthira (2017).
The Manobala & Ramesh Khanna partnership
After 8 years apart, they came back together for Vaigai Express (2017). Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema. They didn't share a set between 2009 and 2017.
From Chinna Raja (1999) to Jeyikkira Kuthira (2017). It started with Chinna Raja (1999).
The shape of the work
The 1990s belonged to Chinna Raja; the 2010s to Vaigai Express. Manobala acted in every film; Ramesh Khanna acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Manobala, already a busy character actor, personally called Ramesh Khanna to offer him the lead role in 'Chinna Raja' (1999). Ramesh was a TV writer then, not a film hero. Manobala bet his own directorial comeback on a newcomer.
- On the set of 'Aadhavan' (2009), Manobala would deliberately flub his lines in the first take to make Ramesh Khanna laugh. Ramesh then had to reset the scene with a straight face. That tension — one guy breaking composure, the other holding it — became their comic rhythm.
- After 'Vaigai Express' (2017) flopped, Manobala and Ramesh Khanna didn't speak for two years. They patched up only when Ramesh was hospitalized in 2019. Manobala visited him at 6 AM, and they spent the morning laughing about the film's worst-reviewed scene.
- Their 2017 film 'Jeyikkira Kuthira' was the first Tamil movie to be shot entirely inside a moving train. No other director-actor duo had attempted that before. The Railways gave them a single coach for 12 days.
6 films across 3 decades
The 1990s accounted for 1 film, averaging 3.5/10.
The 2000s accounted for 3 films, averaging 6.3/10.
The 2010s accounted for 2 films, averaging 4.7/10.
- Chinna Raja
- Priyasakhi
- Aadhavan
- Vaigai Express
- Jeyikkira Kuthira0
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
6 films across 18 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
35% of Ramesh Khanna's screen credits are with Manobala. After Jeyikkira Kuthira, Manobala kept going for 66 more films; Ramesh Khanna stepped back.
Before Chinna Raja, Manobala had starred in 24 films, including Gopurangal Saivathillai (1982) and Puthiya Vaarpugal (1979).
After Jeyikkira Kuthira, Manobala went on to appear in 66 more films, including Kaatrin Mozhi (2018) and Irugapatru (2023).
Before Chinna Raja, Ramesh Khanna had starred in 4 films, including Aan Paavam (1985) and Kadhal Mannan (1998).
After Jeyikkira Kuthira, Ramesh Khanna went on to appear in 7 more films, including Kanne Kalaimaane (2019) and Aval Peyar Rajni (2023).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Manobala & Ramesh Khanna's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
People who worked on Manobala & Ramesh Khanna's films together
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