Ezhil & Soori Movies Together List — 6 Films

The shape of the work

The 2010s account for 83% of everything they made together. The 2000s belonged to Deepavali; the 2010s to Manam Kothi Paravai. Ezhil directed every film; Soori acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Ezhil cast Soori in 'Deepavali' (2007) after seeing him in a small TV comedy role. Soori was so nervous on the first day that he flubbed every line — Ezhil told him to just speak in his natural Kanyakumari dialect. That became Soori's signature comic style.
• In 'Manam Kothi Paravai' (2012), Ezhil let Soori improvise most of his dialogue. Soori would write alternate lines on set and run them by Ezhil during lunch. The scene where Soori's character argues with a chicken vendor was entirely his invention — Ezhil kept the camera rolling.
• Soori's breakout as a full-fledged comedy lead happened in 'Vellaikaara Durai' (2014). Before that, he was just a sidekick. Ezhil gave him a separate comedy track that ran parallel to the hero's story — a format that later became standard in Tamil commercial films.
• Ezhil and Soori never had a formal contract for any of their five films. They shook hands on each project. Soori once said in an interview that Ezhil would call him at 2 AM with a scene idea, and Soori would show up at his house in 20 minutes with tea.
• "Ezhil sir is the only director who lets me be completely stupid on screen. Other directors tell me 'be funny'. He tells me 'be yourself, that's already funny enough'." — Soori, in a 2016 behind-the-scenes feature for 'Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran'.
• In 'Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen' (2017), Ezhil deliberately wrote Soori's character as the smarter one who saves the hero from embarrassment. It was the first time in their partnership that Soori wasn't just comic relief — he was the plot engine. The film flopped, but Soori later said that role changed how other directors saw him.