Sridevi & Suruli rajan Movies Together List — 7 Films

The shape of the work

The 1970s belonged to Manidharil Ithanai Nirangala; the 1980s to Johnny. Sridevi acted in every film; Suruli rajan acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Sridevi was just 15 when she shot 'Manidharil Ithanai Nirangala' (1978) with Suruli Rajan, who was 30 years older. The director K. Vijayan paired them specifically because he wanted a childlike vulnerability opposite Suruli Rajan's loud comic energy — and it worked.
• In 'Johnny' (1980), Suruli Rajan played a bumbling sidekick to Rajinikanth, but his scenes with Sridevi had a different rhythm: she would deliberately slow down her dialogue delivery to match his stammering comic timing, making their exchanges feel like a real, awkward conversation.
• Suruli Rajan reportedly taught Sridevi how to handle the chaotic Tamil film sets when she first moved from Telugu cinema. He'd shield her from rowdy unit members and even made sure she got proper meal breaks — something child actors rarely got in the late 70s.
• The success of 'Sankarlal' (1981) directly led to Suruli Rajan being cast as the comic relief in Sridevi's next big hit 'Moondram Pirai' (1982) — though their scenes together were cut short because the director wanted to focus on the Sridevi-Kamal Haasan romance.
• Suruli Rajan once told a magazine: 'Sridevi was the only actress who never complained about my loud voice. She'd just laugh and say, "Uncle, you make me forget my lines." That was her way of saying she liked working with me.'