Santhanam & Prakash Raj Movies Together List — 19 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Santhanam and Prakash Raj appeared together in 19 Tamil films between 2002 and 2017. Their highest-rated collaboration was Arai En 305-il Kadavul (2008 — 7.5/10). Films span Kadhal Azhivathillai (2002) through Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal (2017).
The Santhanam & Prakash Raj partnership
2008 was their peak — 3 films in twelve months. For 15 years, a Santhanam–Prakash film arrived almost every year. From Kadhal Azhivathillai (2002) to Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal (2017).
Arai En 305-il Kadavul is the one most viewers reach for. It started with Kadhal Azhivathillai (2002).
The shape of the work
The 2000s belonged to Arai En 305-il Kadavul; the 2010s to Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal. Santhanam acted in every film; Prakash Raj acted in all of them.
Partnership facts
- Their first film together, Idhaya Thirudan (2006), almost didn't happen. Santhanam was still a TV comedian finding his footing in films. Prakash Raj, already a star, personally asked the director to cast Santhanam after seeing his stage work.
- In Arai En 305-il Kadavul (2008), Prakash Raj played a strict god who descends to earth. Santhanam played his bumbling sidekick. The trick was simple: Prakash Raj set the deadpan tone, and Santhanam bounced off it with pure chaos. No one else could make that rhythm work.
- Their 2015 film JK Enum Nanbanin Vaazhkai directly launched a new trend in Tamil comedy: the 'double hero' buddy film where a serious star and a comedian share equal screen time. Films like Thani Oruvan and Maan Karate followed this template within two years.
- On the sets of Malai Malai (2009), Santhanam would rehearse his lines with Prakash Raj in the makeup van before every scene. Prakash Raj later said it was the only time he let a co-star interrupt his prep — because Santhanam made him laugh so hard he forgot his own lines.
- Prakash Raj once said in an interview: 'Santhanam is the only actor who can make me forget I'm acting. He doesn't perform comedy — he lives it. I just had to stand there and react.'
- In Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal (2017), their last film together, Prakash Raj played a grieving father and Santhanam played his comic relief neighbor. The director said Santhanam deliberately underplayed his comedy to let Prakash Raj's emotional scenes breathe — a rare selfless move from a comedian.
19 films across 2 decades
The 2000s brought 9 films together, anchored by Arai En 305-il Kadavul (7.5/10).
The 2010s brought 10 films together, anchored by Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal (7.3/10).
- Arai En 305-il Kadavul
- Santosh Subramaniam
- Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal
- JK Enum Nanbanin Vaazhkai
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
19 films across 15 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 2 languages, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
56% of Santhanam's screen credits are with Prakash Raj. When they first worked together, Santhanam had 0 films behind them; Prakash Raj had 50. After Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal, Prakash Raj kept going for 56 more films; Santhanam stepped back.
Kadhal Azhivathillai was Santhanam's acting debut.
After Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal, Santhanam went on to appear in 15 more films, including Server Sundaram (2020) and Kick (2023).
Before Kadhal Azhivathillai, Prakash Raj had starred in 50 films, including Nila (1994) and Poomani (1996).
After Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal, Prakash Raj went on to appear in 56 more films, including Sita Ramam (2022) and Jai Bhim (2021).


















Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Santhanam & Prakash Raj's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
G. V. Prakash Kumar scored 3 of them. They worked with the same 8 people again and again — a small repertory company. Ganja Karuppu appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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Other iconic Tamil director-actor duos
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