Kamal Haasan & C. V. Rajendran Movies Together List — 3 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Kamal Haasan and C. V. Rajendran appeared together in 3 Tamil films between 1975 and 1981. Films span Maalai Sooda Vaa (1975) through Do Dil Diwane (1981).
The Kamal Haasan & C. V. Rajendran partnership
From Maalai Sooda Vaa (1975) to Do Dil Diwane (1981). The played out closed with Do Dil Diwane in 1981. It started with Maalai Sooda Vaa (1975).
The shape of the work
The 1970s belonged to Maalai Sooda Vaa; the 1980s to Ullasa Paravaigal. Kamal Haasan acted in every film; C. V. Rajendran directed all of them.
Partnership facts
- Kamal Haasan was already a star when he signed Maalai Sooda Vaa (1975), but he chose C. V. Rajendran — a director known for comedies — because he wanted to prove he could do lighthearted roles too. Rajendran later said Kamal walked into his office and said, 'Give me something fun, I'm tired of being serious.'
- On the sets of Ullasa Paravaigal (1980), Kamal would rewrite his own lines in Tamil to make them punchier, and Rajendran let him. The director’s strength was timing — he’d tell Kamal exactly where to pause for the laugh. Kamal later admitted Rajendran taught him 'how to land a joke without landing a punch.'
- Do Dil Diwane (1981) was shot simultaneously in Tamil and Hindi — and it was the first time Kamal Haasan acted in a bilingual comedy. That film directly led to Rajendran casting Kamal in the Hindi remake of Ullasa Paravaigal, which never got made but sparked Kamal’s interest in cross-industry projects.
- During the shoot of Maalai Sooda Vaa, Kamal was living out of a suitcase and often crashed at Rajendran’s house in Chennai. The director’s wife would cook for him. Kamal later joked that he signed Ullasa Paravaigal just for another home-cooked meal.
- Kamal Haasan once said about C. V. Rajendran: 'He never shouted on set. He’d just smile and say, “Try again, but this time mean it.” That’s how I learned comedy is not about the line — it’s about the silence before it.'
3 films across 2 decades
The 1970s accounted for 1 film.
The 1980s accounted for 2 films.
- Maalai Sooda Vaa0
- Ullasa Paravaigal0
- Do Dil Diwane0
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
3 films across 6 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 2 languages, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
After Do Dil Diwane, Kamal Haasan kept going for 118 more films; C. V. Rajendran stepped back. By the time of Maalai Sooda Vaa, both already had careers — Kamal Haasan with 14 films, C. V. Rajendran with 15.
Before Maalai Sooda Vaa, Kamal Haasan had starred in 14 films, including Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974) and Arangetram (1973).
After Do Dil Diwane, Kamal Haasan went on to appear in 118 more films, including Enakkul Oruvan (1984) and Enakkul Oruvan (1984).
Before Maalai Sooda Vaa, C. V. Rajendran had directed 15 films, including Raja (1972) and Galatta Kalyanam (1968).
After Do Dil Diwane, C. V. Rajendran went on to direct 15 more films, including Thyagi (1982) and Sandhippu (1983).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Kamal Haasan & C. V. Rajendran's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Major Sundarrajan is the through-line — cast on 2 of their 3 films.
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