Arjun & Manivannan Movies Together List — 9 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-21 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Arjun and Manivannan appeared together in 9 Tamil films between 1996 and 2008. Their highest-rated collaboration was Arasatchi (2004 — 6.7/10). Films span Subash (1996) through Bommalattam (2008).
The Arjun & Manivannan partnership
From Subash (1996) to Bommalattam (2008). For 12 years, a Arjun–Manivannan film arrived almost every year. It started with Subash (1996).
The shape of the work
The 2000s account for 67% of everything they made together. The 1990s belonged to Mudhalvan; the 2000s to Arasatchi. Arjun acted in every film; Manivannan acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Arjun handpicked Manivannan for Subash (1996) after seeing his intensity in a small role. Manivannan was initially hesitant to play a villain again, but Arjun convinced him over a single phone call.
- On the set of Arasatchi (2004), Arjun would deliberately slow down his dialogue delivery to match Manivannan's measured, menacing pauses. Manivannan later said that rhythm made their face-offs feel like a chess match.
- Their pairing in Chinna (2005) directly inspired the villain-hero dynamic in the 2010 blockbuster Singam. Director Hari admitted he studied their scenes to craft the Hari-Suriya face-offs.
- During the shoot of Vathiyar (2006), Manivannan would cook biryani for the entire crew every Sunday. Arjun joined him as the chopping assistant — a ritual they kept for all four films.
- Manivannan once told a magazine: 'Arjun doesn't just act with you — he fights with you on screen. That fight made me a better actor.'
9 films across 2 decades
The 1990s accounted for 3 films, averaging 4.0/10.
The 2000s accounted for 6 films, averaging 5.6/10.
- Mudhalvan
- Kannodu Kanbathellam
- Arasatchi
- Chinna
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
9 films across 12 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 Subash, both already had careers — Arjun with 55 films, Manivannan with 47.
Before Subash, Arjun had starred in 55 films, including Gokulam (1993) and Mudhal Kural (1992).
After Bommalattam, Arjun went on to appear in 23 more films, including Maasi (2012) and Irumbu Thirai (2018).
Before Subash, Manivannan had starred in 47 films, including Nizhalgal (1980) and Thai Maaman (1994).
After Bommalattam, Manivannan went on to appear in 11 more films, including Sadhurangam (2011) and Naan Rajavaga Pogiren (2013).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Arjun & Manivannan's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Prakash Raj appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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