Manivannan is the director of several intense and thought-provoking movies. His grip over the screenplay and felicity with dialogue made his films memorable. He was an associate of Bharathiraja. He also excelled as an actor in villainous, comedy or character roles. His staying power is remarkable as he is a constant fixture in several films today. His son, Raghuvannan, was bitten by the acting bug but his films did not do too well. But Raghu is trained in direction as well. He has carved a name for himself by directing several short films like Color of Sound, Punnagaiyin Mouname, TN 09 Q 0888 etc. These were critically acclaimed. Soon he will be directing a full-length feature film.