Venkat Prabhu & Ilavarasu Movies Together List — 4 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Venkat Prabhu and Ilavarasu appeared together in 4 Tamil films between 2003 and 2016. Their highest-rated collaboration was Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings (2016 — 6.8/10). Films span Unnai Charanadaindhen (2003) through Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings (2016).
The Venkat Prabhu & Ilavarasu partnership
After 8 years apart, they came back together for Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings (2016). They saved their best for last — Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings (6.8/10) came 13 years in. They didn't share a set between 2008 and 2016.
From Unnai Charanadaindhen (2003) to Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings (2016). It started with Unnai Charanadaindhen (2003).
The shape of the work
The 2000s account for 75% of everything they made together. The 2000s belonged to Ji; the 2010s to Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Venkat Prabhu cast Ilavarasu in his directorial debut 'Unnai Charanadaindhen' (2003) because he needed a raw, earthy villain — and Ilavarasu, then a stage actor with zero film experience, walked in and delivered the dialogue in one take. Venkat later said he knew in that moment he'd work with him again.
- On the set of 'Ji' (2005), Venkat Prabhu would let Ilavarasu rewrite his own lines in colloquial village slang. Ilavarasu's improvisations became the film's most quoted comedic beats — Venkat never let another actor touch his dialogue that way.
- After 'Ji' flopped, Venkat Prabhu and Ilavarasu didn't speak for nearly a decade. They reconnected only when Venkat called Ilavarasu out of the blue in 2015 to offer him a role in 'Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings' — Ilavarasu accepted without reading the script.
- Ilavarasu's performance in 'Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings' (2016) directly led to his casting in 'Vikram Vedha' (2017) — the film's director Pushkar saw his scene with Venkat Prabhu and said he wanted that same lived-in energy for the police station sequences.
- Venkat Prabhu once said in an interview: 'Ilavarasu is the only actor who can make me laugh even when the scene is supposed to be serious. I had to cut his close-ups short in Ji because I kept breaking character behind the monitor.'
4 films across 2 decades
The 2000s accounted for 3 films, averaging 6.5/10.
The 2010s accounted for 1 film, averaging 6.8/10.
- Ji
- Vaazhthugal
- Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
4 films across 13 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Tamil being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
After Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings, Ilavarasu kept going for 47 more films; Venkat Prabhu stepped back.
Before Unnai Charanadaindhen, Venkat Prabhu had starred in 1 film, including April Maadhathil (2002).
After Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings, Venkat Prabhu went on to appear in 12 more films, including Vizhithiru (2017) and Kasada Thapara (2021).
Before Unnai Charanadaindhen, Ilavarasu had starred in 10 films, including University (2002) and Shahjahan (2001).
After Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings, Ilavarasu went on to appear in 47 more films, including Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal (2022) and Jai Bhim (2021).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Venkat Prabhu & Ilavarasu's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Inigo Prabhakaran is the through-line — cast on 2 of their 4 films.
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