M. S. Bhaskar & Santhana Bharathi Movies Together List — 5 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
M. S. Bhaskar and Santhana Bharathi appeared together in 5 Tamil films between 2007 and 2021. Their highest-rated collaboration was Machakaaran (2007 — 6.5/10). Films span Machakaaran (2007) through Plan Panni Pannanum (2021).
The M. S. Bhaskar & Santhana Bharathi partnership
Their work runs across 3 decades of Tamil cinema. From Machakaaran (2007) to Plan Panni Pannanum (2021). It started with Machakaaran (2007).
The shape of the work
The 2000s belonged to Machakaaran; the 2020s to Plan Panni Pannanum. M. S. Bhaskar acted in every film; Santhana Bharathi acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Santhana Bharathi didn't plan to cast M. S. Bhaskar in Maasilamani. Bhaskar heard about the script, called Bharathi directly, and said he'd act for free if the role was good. Bharathi gave him the part on the spot.
- On the sets of Meen Kuzhambum Mann Paanaiyum, Bhaskar would deliberately flub his lines in the first take. He knew Bharathi would crack up, and that laugh would loosen the entire crew before the real take. Bharathi called it his 'icebreaker trick'.
- Plan Panni Pannanum was the first Tamil film where Bhaskar and Bharathi co-wrote the screenplay together. That script later got Bharathi a writing offer for a web series on a major OTT platform — a direct career shift triggered by their collaboration.
- Between films, Bhaskar and Bharathi meet every month for a single cup of filter coffee at a specific shop in T. Nagar. They don't discuss cinema. They talk about their kids and cricket. Bharathi says it's the only rule they never break.
- "Bhaskar is the only actor who can make me forget I'm the director. I just sit and watch him like a fan." — Santhana Bharathi, in a 2021 interview about Plan Panni Pannanum.
5 films across 3 decades
The 2000s accounted for 2 films, averaging 6.0/10.
The 2010s accounted for 2 films, averaging 5.6/10.
The 2020s accounted for 1 film, averaging 5.6/10.
- Machakaaran
- Maasilamani
- Eththan
- Meen Kuzhambum Mann Paanaiyum
- Plan Panni Pannanum
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
5 films across 14 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
After Plan Panni Pannanum, M. S. Bhaskar kept going for 31 more films; Santhana Bharathi stepped back. By the time of Machakaaran, both already had careers — M. S. Bhaskar with 12 films, Santhana Bharathi with 29.
Before Machakaaran, M. S. Bhaskar had starred in 12 films, including Kedi (2006) and Azhagiya Theeye (2004).
After Plan Panni Pannanum, M. S. Bhaskar went on to appear in 31 more films, including Taanakkaran (2022) and Red Sandal Wood (2023).
Before Machakaaran, Santhana Bharathi had starred in 29 films, including Anbe Sivam (2003) and Panneer Pushpangal (1981).
After Plan Panni Pannanum, Santhana Bharathi went on to appear in 6 more films, including Vikram (2022) and Aaromaley (2025).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of M. S. Bhaskar & Santhana Bharathi's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
People who worked on M. S. Bhaskar & Santhana Bharathi's films together
2
2
2
Other iconic Tamil director-actor duos
Discover other partnerships with comparable filmographies and ratings
Prakash Raj
Bharath Reddy
R. N. R. Manohar
Kaali Venkat
Manjula Vijayakumar
V. K. Ramasamy
Sripriya
Pandari Bai
Nassar
Ashutosh Rana
Saranya Ponvannan
Charlie