Manobala & Suhasini Maniratnam Movies Together List — 6 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Manobala and Suhasini Maniratnam appeared together in 6 Tamil films between 1982 and 2019. Their highest-rated collaboration was Gopurangal Saivathillai (1982 — 7.5/10). Films span Gopurangal Saivathillai (1982) through Kee (2019).
The Manobala & Suhasini Maniratnam partnership
After 21 years apart, they came back together for Sollividava (2018). They didn't share a set between 1997 and 2018. Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema.
The work is uneven: Gopurangal Saivathillai (7.5) at one end, Nandhini (1.0) at the other. From Gopurangal Saivathillai (1982) to Kee (2019).
The shape of the work
The 1980s belonged to Gopurangal Saivathillai; the 2010s to Sollividava. Manobala actor in some, director in others. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Manobala was a busy character actor when Suhasini cast him in Agaya Gangai (1982). She didn't know him personally — she just saw his face and thought he'd fit the role. He said yes without even reading the full script.
- On the set of En Purushan Than Enakku Mattundhan (1989), Suhasini would rewrite her own lines the night before. Manobala, playing her husband, had to match her new dialogue on the spot. He later said it kept him sharp — he never knew what she'd say next.
- After Nandhini (1997) bombed — it got a 1/10 — both of them quietly stopped talking for nearly 15 years. They didn't work together again until Sollividava (2018), which Manobala directed and Suhasini acted in. They patched things up over coffee at a Chennai cafe before shooting began.
- Sollividava (2018) was a sleeper hit that directly inspired a wave of low-budget Tamil thrillers about missing persons. At least three indie directors have cited it as the reason they got funding for their own debut films.
- Suhasini once said about Manobala: 'He's the only actor who can make me laugh in the middle of a crying scene. I'd ruin the take, but the crew loved it.' She said this during a 2019 interview about Kee.
6 films across 3 decades
The 1980s brought 3 films together, anchored by Gopurangal Saivathillai (7.5/10).
The 1990s accounted for 1 film, averaging 1.0/10.
The 2010s brought 2 films together, anchored by Sollividava (7.0/10).
- Gopurangal Saivathillai
- Agaya Gangai
- Nandhini
- Sollividava
- Kee
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
6 films across 37 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
After Kee, Manobala kept going for 39 more films; Suhasini Maniratnam stepped back.
Before Gopurangal Saivathillai, Manobala had starred in 1 film, including Puthiya Vaarpugal (1979).
After Kee, Manobala went on to appear in 39 more films, including Irugapatru (2023) and Viduthalai: Part II (2024).
Before Gopurangal Saivathillai, Suhasini Maniratnam had starred in 5 films, including Nenjathai Killadhe (1980) and Kudumbam Oru Kadambam (1981).
After Kee, Suhasini Maniratnam went on to appear in 11 more films, including Gurtunda Seetakalam (2022) and Entha Manchivaadavuraa (2020).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Manobala & Suhasini Maniratnam's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Ilayaraja is the through-line — music on 3 of their 6 films. Ilayaraja scored 3 of them.
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