Who has worked with Rahman the most?

Ilayaraja has worked with Rahman in 13 films (1988–2016). Their highest-rated film together is Athma.

How many co-stars does Rahman have on record?

Rahman has worked with 40 actors, 4 directors, and 6 music directors on GudVibe — 50 collaborators across the catalogue.

How many films have Rahman and Ilayaraja appeared in?

13 films, between 1988 and 2016. These include Oruvar Vazhum Aalayam, Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal, and Pudhiya Raagam.

Who has directed Rahman the most?

S. A. Chandrasekhar has directed 2 films with Rahman, starting with Nilave Malare.

Which collaboration has lasted the longest for Rahman?

Yes — Ilayaraja has worked with Rahman across 4 decades, from 1988 to 2016. 34 other pairings also span multiple decades.

Which Rahman pairing was most successful?

The Rahman–Devayani pairing — 2 films averaging 7.5/10, with Janatha Garage (7.5) at the top.

Does any single co-actor dominate Rahman's filmography?

Yes — Ilayaraja, with 13 films, sits well ahead of every other collaborator.

How deep is Rahman's repeat-collaborator bench?

18 different collaborators have shared three or more films with Rahman — a deep returning roster.

Who was Rahman's first major collaborator?

S. A. Chandrasekhar — first paired in 1986 on Nilave Malare.

Rahman

Co-Stars & Directors

Rahman

40Co-Stars

4Directors

6Music Directors

13Films with Ilayaraja

Rahman Co-Stars, Directors & Movies Together

Rahman's collaborators

One pairing towers over the rest: Ilayaraja, with 13 shared credits — far ahead of every other collaborator. Rahman's most frequent music director is Ilayaraja — 13 films.

Devayani averages 7.5/10 across 2 films with Rahman — the highest-rated active pairing. From 1986 (with S. A. Chandrasekhar) to 2017 (with Delhi Ganesh).

As of July 2026.

Collaborator network

Top 12 collaborators by composite strength score. Distance reflects strength; edge thickness reflects film count; warmer edges are more recent.

Hover any node — click to open the pair page.

Most acclaimed pairing

Rahman × Devayani

2 films·avg 7.5/10

Longest running

Rahman × Ilayaraja

28+ years·4 decades

Strongest pairings

Ilayaraja outpaces the next-strongest by a clear margin — outscoring the next-strongest pairing by 217%.

50Total Co-Stars & Directors

13Most films with Ilayaraja

3Role categories

Top pairings compared

Ilayaraja leads on film count, Nassar on average rating, Delhi Ganesh on recency — the four pull ahead on different metrics.

Metric	Ilayaraja	Delhi Ganesh	Sukanya	Nassar
Films together	13	5	6	4
Avg rating	6.2	6.6	5.9	6.7
First	1988	1991	1992	1993
Latest	2016	2017	2014	2016
Best film	Athma	Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru	Udan Pirappu	Kuttrame Thandanai