Manivannan & Abbas Movies Together List — 6 Films

The shape of the work

The 2000s account for 67% of everything they made together. The 1990s belonged to Poochudava; the 2000s to Sadhu Miranda. Manivannan acted in every film; Abbas acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Manivannan handpicked Abbas for 'Poochudava' (1997) after seeing his debut in 'Kadhal Desam'. He told Abbas he wanted a 'city boy with a soft face' to play the romantic lead opposite a village girl — and Abbas was the only actor he auditioned.
• On the sets of 'Aasai Thambi' (1998), Manivannan would deliberately give Abbas only half the dialogue before a scene. He wanted Abbas to react naturally, not recite. Abbas later said that method made him feel like he was 'acting for the first time' every take.
• During 'Pammal K. Sambandam' (2002), Manivannan and Abbas shared a room at a lodge in Kumbakonam for 40 days. Abbas cooked simple meals on a stove because Manivannan hated hotel food. They never told the crew.
• The success of 'Poochudava' (1997) directly led to Abbas being cast in 'Minsara Kanavu' (1997) — Rajiv Menon saw his performance in the rushes and offered him the role of the rich guy. That film became a cult classic.
• Abbas once said in a 2009 interview: 'Manivannan sir never let me become a star. He kept pulling me back to being a character. I owe my best performances to him.'
• In 'Sadhu Miranda' (2008), Manivannan wrote a 10-minute monologue for Abbas that had no cuts — just a single tracking shot. Abbas rehearsed it for three days straight. Manivannan told the cameraman, 'If he flubs, we wrap for the day.' Abbas nailed it in one take.