Manivannan & R. Madhavan Movies Together List — 4 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-03 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Manivannan and R. Madhavan appeared together in 4 Tamil films between 2000 and 2006. Their highest-rated collaboration was Ennavale (2000 — 6.9/10). Films span Ennavale (2000) through Rendu (2006).
The Manivannan & R. Madhavan partnership
Between 2000 and 2006, they barely worked apart — 4 films in 6 years. From Ennavale (2000) to Rendu (2006). The unfolded closed with Rendu in 2006.
It started with Ennavale (2000).
The shape of the work
Manivannan acted in every film; R. Madhavan acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Manivannan didn't just act with Madhavan — he directed him in Ennavale (2000). That film was Madhavan's first Tamil lead role after his Hindi debut. Manivannan personally pushed for Madhavan when producers wanted a bigger name.
- In Thambi (2006), Manivannan played Madhavan's father. The age gap was just 18 years in real life, but Manivannan's natural authority made the father-son dynamic feel lived-in. Madhavan later said Manivannan's silence in scenes made him work harder.
- Manivannan and Madhavan stayed close after Rendu (2006). When Manivannan fell seriously ill in 2013, Madhavan was one of the first actors to visit him in the hospital and quietly helped with medical expenses without making it public.
- Madhavan once said in an interview: 'Manivannan sir taught me that acting is not about dialogue delivery — it's about what you do between the dialogues. I learned more from his pauses than from any acting class.'
- Rendu (2006) was the only film where Manivannan and Madhavan played brothers — and it was also the film that launched director Sundar C.'s comedy-action template, which later inspired a whole wave of mid-2000s Tamil masala films.
4 films across 1 decade
- Ennavale
- Rendu
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
4 films across 6 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, Manivannan had 117 films behind them; R. Madhavan had 1. After Rendu, R. Madhavan kept going for 44 more films; Manivannan stepped back.
Before Ennavale, Manivannan had starred in 117 films, including Nizhalgal (1980) and Mugam (1999).
After Rendu, Manivannan went on to appear in 24 more films, including Nenjathai Killadhe (2008) and Sivaji (2007).
Before Ennavale, R. Madhavan had starred in 1 film, including Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin (1996).
After Rendu, R. Madhavan went on to appear in 44 more films, including Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022) and Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Manivannan & R. Madhavan's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Sneha is the through-line — cast on 2 of their 4 films.
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