Sundar C. & Kovai Sarala Movies Together List — 5 Films

The shape of the work

The 2000s belonged to Unnai Kann Theduthey; the 2020s to Aranmanai 4. Sundar C. director in some, actor in others. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Sundar C. didn't just cast Kovai Sarala in 'Unnai Kann Theduthey' (2000) — he rewrote the entire comedy track for her after she signed on. The original script had a male comedian in that role.
• On the sets of 'Aranmanai' (2014), Sundar C. would deliberately leave gaps in the dialogue for Kovai Sarala to improvise. She filled those pauses with one-liners that became the film's most-shared memes on Tamil social media.
• The success of their comedy track in 'Aranmanai' (2014) directly convinced Sundar C. to expand Sarala's role in 'Aranmanai 2' (2016) — making her the only actor besides himself to appear in both sequels with a full comedy subplot.
• Kovai Sarala has said in interviews that Sundar C. is the only director who lets her eat on set during takes. On every one of their films, he'd order her favourite biryani from a specific shop in Chennai and schedule her scenes around lunch.
• "Sundar C. doesn't direct me. He just says 'Sarala, do your thing' and then edits around whatever I do. That's why I keep coming back." — Kovai Sarala, in a 2016 interview with Ananda Vikatan.