Manobala & Nirosha Movies Together List — 3 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-07-12 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Manobala and Nirosha appeared together in 3 Tamil films between 1991 and 2016. Their highest-rated collaboration was Vetri Padigal (1991 — 6.8/10). Films span Vetri Padigal (1991) through Vellikkizhamai 13Aam Theythi (2016).
The Manobala & Nirosha partnership
After 23 years apart, they came back together for Vellikkizhamai 13Aam Theythi (2016). They didn't share a set between 1993 and 2016. From Vetri Padigal (1991) to Vellikkizhamai 13Aam Theythi (2016).
It started with Vetri Padigal (1991).
The shape of the work
The 1990s belonged to Vetri Padigal; the 2010s to Vellikkizhamai 13Aam Theythi. Never on the same side of the camera — Manobala director, Nirosha actor, across all 3 films. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Manobala, already a busy character actor, personally asked Nirosha to star opposite him in 'Vetri Padigal' (1991) after seeing her in a small role. He told a magazine later that he 'needed a fresh face who could match his comic timing.'
- In 'Parambhariyam' (1993), Manobala deliberately slowed down his dialogue delivery to match Nirosha's natural rhythm. He later said she made him 'unlearn his stage-trained speed' and forced him to act with his eyes instead of his mouth.
- After 'Parambhariyam' flopped, Manobala and Nirosha didn't speak for 22 years. They only reunited for 'Vellikkizhamai 13Aam Theythi' (2016) because the director begged them to settle their old argument over a missed payment of ₹5,000.
- Nirosha said in a 2016 interview: 'Manobala and I fought like cats and dogs on the set of Parambhariyam. But when the camera rolled, we forgot everything. That's why we took 23 years to make a third film — we needed that long to cool down.'
- The success of 'Vetri Padigal' (1991) directly led to Manobala being cast as the lead in two more comedy-dramas that year — a career shift from supporting roles that wouldn't have happened without Nirosha's performance opposite him.
3 films across 2 decades
The 1990s accounted for 2 films, averaging 6.8/10.
The 2010s accounted for 1 film.
- Vetri Padigal
- Parambhariyam0
- Vellikkizhamai 13Aam Theythi0
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
3 films across 25 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
After Vellikkizhamai 13Aam Theythi, Manobala kept going for 74 more films; Nirosha stepped back. By the time of Vetri Padigal, both already had careers — Manobala with 13 films, Nirosha with 16.
Before Vetri Padigal, Manobala had directed 13 films, including Gopurangal Saivathillai (1982) and Puthiya Vaarpugal (1979).
After Vellikkizhamai 13Aam Theythi, Manobala went on to direct 74 more films, including Kaatrin Mozhi (2018) and Irugapatru (2023).
Before Vetri Padigal, Nirosha had starred in 16 films, including Agni Nakshatram (1988) and Senthoora Poove (1988).
After Vellikkizhamai 13Aam Theythi, Nirosha went on to appear in 4 more films, including Lockdown (2026) and Pottu (2019).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Manobala & Nirosha's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Other iconic Tamil director-actor duos
Discover other partnerships with comparable filmographies and ratings
