Arjun & Sarath Babu Movies Together List — 3 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-05 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Arjun and Sarath Babu appeared together in 3 Tamil films between 1987 and 2003. Films span Shankar Guru (1987) through Ottran (2003).
The Arjun & Sarath Babu partnership
After 14 years apart, they came back together for Ottran (2003). They didn't share a set between 1989 and 2003. From Shankar Guru (1987) to Ottran (2003).
It started with Shankar Guru (1987). The played out closed with Ottran in 2003.
The shape of the work
The 1980s belonged to Shankar Guru; the 2000s to Ottran. Arjun acted in every film; Sarath Babu acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Shankar Guru (1987) was supposed to star a different actor opposite Arjun. Sarath Babu stepped in last minute when the original choice backed out. That replacement turned into a three-film partnership.
- In Sondhakkaran (1989), Arjun played the loud, impulsive hero while Sarath Babu played the calm, calculating villain. They deliberately played off each other's energy — Arjun would speed up his dialogue delivery, and Sarath Babu would slow his down to create tension.
- Arjun and Sarath Babu stayed close friends long after the films ended. Sarath Babu was one of the first people Arjun called when he decided to direct his own film. They never had a single fight on set across all three movies.
- Ottran (2003) was the last time they acted together, but it also launched a trend: both actors started playing father-figure roles in the same year after this film, shifting their careers into a new phase.
- Arjun once said in an interview: 'Sarath Babu is the only co-star who could make me forget my lines just by looking at me a certain way. He had that power.'
3 films across 2 decades
The 1980s accounted for 2 films.
The 2000s accounted for 1 film.
- Shankar Guru0
- Sondhakkaran0
- Ottran0
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
3 films across 16 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 Shankar Guru, both already had careers — Arjun with 11 films, Sarath Babu with 35.
Before Shankar Guru, Arjun had starred in 11 films, including Engal Kural (1985) and Swati (1986).
After Ottran, Arjun went on to appear in 40 more films, including Maasi (2012) and Irumbu Thirai (2018).
Before Shankar Guru, Sarath Babu had starred in 35 films, including Nenjathai Killadhe (1980) and Mullum Malarum (1978).
After Ottran, Sarath Babu went on to appear in 28 more films, including Shirdi Sai (2012) and Por Thozhil (2023).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Arjun & Sarath Babu's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Manorama is the through-line — cast on 2 of their 3 films.
