Ramki & Keyaar Movies Together List — 5 Films

The shape of the work

Ramki acted in every film; Keyaar directed all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• The success of Mayabazar (1995) directly led to Keyaar being offered bigger budget films. Ramki's performance in that film became a template for the 'action hero with comic timing' trend in mid-90s Tamil cinema.
• Keyaar cast Ramki in Vanaja Girija (1994) after seeing him in a small role in another film. Ramki was not the first choice — the director initially wanted a bigger star, but Ramki's screen test convinced him on the spot.
• On the sets of Mayabazar (1995), Ramki would often improvise comedy lines during takes. Keyaar loved it so much he started writing extra comic scenes just for Ramki the night before shooting.
• After Thaali Pudhusu (1997), Keyaar and Ramki had a falling out over a missed payment. They didn't speak for nearly a decade. Ramki later admitted in a 2005 interview that it was a misunderstanding, but they never worked together again.
• Keyaar once said about Ramki: 'He was the only actor who would call me at 2 AM to discuss a single dialogue. Annoying, but that's why our films worked.' — from a 1997 magazine interview.
• In Irattai Roja (1996), Ramki played a double role. Keyaar made him shoot both characters' scenes in one continuous take for the climax — no cuts. Ramki had to switch costumes and accents in under 30 seconds between shots. It took 14 takes.