Devayani & Murali Movies Together List — 5 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Devayani and Murali appeared together in 5 Tamil films between 1996 and 2003. Their highest-rated collaboration was Poomani (1996 — 7.3/10). Films span Poomani (1996) through Kadhaludan (2003).
The Devayani & Murali partnership
Between 1996 and 2003, they barely worked apart — 5 films in 7 years. From Poomani (1996) to Kadhaludan (2003). The spanned closed with Kadhaludan in 2003.
Poomani is the one most viewers reach for. It started with Poomani (1996).
The shape of the work
The 2000s account for 60% of everything they made together. The 1990s belonged to Poomani; the 2000s to Aanandham. Devayani acted in every film; Murali acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Devayani was just 16 when she signed Poomani (1996). Murali was 32. The director had to get special permission from her parents to pair them as lovers — and Murali reportedly promised on set he'd treat her like a co-star, not a kid.
- In Poonthottam (1998), Murali deliberately slowed down his usual intense delivery to match Devayani's natural, understated style. She later said he 'taught her to act with her eyes' — and the scene where she silently cries in the rain became the film's most talked-about moment.
- Their pairing in Aanandham (2001) was so popular that the director, Raj Kapoor, wrote a separate spin-off track just for their characters — a rare move in a multi-starrer. That song, 'Kadhal Vaithu', still gets played at Tamil weddings.
- On the sets of Kannukku Kannaga (2000), Murali would bring Devayani homemade snacks from his wife's kitchen. They never had a single reported fight or ego clash across five films — unusual for a pair with a 16-year age gap.
- Devayani once told a magazine: 'Murali sir never let me feel like a junior artist. He'd rehearse with me for hours before the director even arrived. He made me believe I belonged.'
- Kadhaludan (2003) was their last film together — and it flopped. But the failure didn't sour them. Years later, when Murali passed away in 2009, Devayani was one of the first actresses to visit his family, and she posted a handwritten note calling him 'my first real co-star.'
5 films across 2 decades
The 1990s brought 2 films together, anchored by Poomani (7.3/10).
The 2000s accounted for 3 films, averaging 5.1/10.
- Poomani
- Poonthottam
- Aanandham
- Kannukku Kannaga0
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
5 films across 7 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
When they first worked together, Devayani had 1 films behind them; Murali had 44.
Before Poomani, Devayani had starred in 1 film, including Thotta Chinungi (1995).
After Kadhaludan, Devayani went on to appear in 17 more films, including Kiss (2025) and Naani (2004).
Before Poomani, Murali had starred in 44 films, including Ninaivu Chinnam (1989) and Thanga Manasukkaran (1992).
After Kadhaludan, Murali went on to appear in 10 more films, including Raam (2005) and Baana Kaathadi (2010).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Devayani & Murali's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Manivannan is the through-line — cast on 3 of their 5 films. Manivannan appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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