Manivannan & Chinni Jayanth Movies Together List — 9 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Manivannan and Chinni Jayanth appeared together in 9 Tamil films between 1986 and 2005. Their highest-rated collaboration was Muthal Vasantham (1986 — 7.5/10). Films span Muthal Vasantham (1986) through Dancer (2005).
The Manivannan & Chinni Jayanth partnership
After 9 years apart, they came back together for Aanazhagan (1995). Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema. They didn't share a set between 1986 and 1995.
From Muthal Vasantham (1986) to Dancer (2005). The work is uneven: Muthal Vasantham (7.5) at one end, Sandhitha Velai (2.7) at the other.
The shape of the work
The 1980s belonged to Muthal Vasantham; the 2000s to Piriyadha Varam Vendum. Manivannan acted in every film; Chinni Jayanth acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Manivannan actually discovered Chinni Jayanth. He cast him in Muthal Vasantham (1986) after seeing him on stage. That film put Chinni Jayanth on the map as a comedian.
- In Maanbumigu Maanavan (1996), Manivannan played the strict father while Chinni Jayanth played the comic sidekick. Their timing worked because Manivannan set a deadpan pace and Chinni Jayanth bounced off it with rapid-fire improvisation.
- Chinni Jayanth has said in interviews that Manivannan was like a father figure to him on set. They would share meals together during breaks on every film they did together.
- Their film Piriyadha Varam Vendum (2001) was a sleeper hit that revived interest in family dramas with comic relief. It directly inspired a wave of similar father-son comedy tracks in early 2000s Tamil cinema.
- Chinni Jayanth once said: 'Manivannan sir never let me feel like a junior artist. He treated me as an equal, and that's why our scenes felt real.'
9 films across 3 decades
The 1980s brought 1 film together, anchored by Muthal Vasantham (7.5/10).
The 1990s accounted for 4 films, averaging 5.6/10.
The 2000s brought 4 films together, anchored by Piriyadha Varam Vendum (7.5/10).
- Muthal Vasantham
- Kadhalar Dhinam
- Maanbumigu Maanavan
- Piriyadha Varam Vendum
- Dancer
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
9 films across 19 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
32% of Chinni Jayanth's screen credits are with Manivannan.
Before Muthal Vasantham, Manivannan had starred in 12 films, including Nizhalgal (1980) and Nooravathu Naal (1984).
After Dancer, Manivannan went on to appear in 30 more films, including Sivappathigaram (2006) and Nenjathai Killadhe (2008).
Before Muthal Vasantham, Chinni Jayanth had starred in 2 films, including Kai Kodukkum Kai (1984) and Pillai Nila (1985).
After Dancer, Chinni Jayanth went on to appear in 17 more films, including Boat (2024) and Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir (2023).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Manivannan & Chinni Jayanth's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Charlie appears alongside them in 4 films — practically a third lead. Deva scored 3 of them.
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Other iconic Tamil director-actor duos
Discover other partnerships with comparable filmographies and ratings
