Manmadhan was Santhanam’s debut film as he had hitherto been working on the small screen with hits like Lollu Sabha and Sagalai Vs Ragalai to his credit. He had a small part in Manmadhan as Mottai Madhan’s (STR) senior. As the saying goes there are no small roles but only small actors and Santhanam proved it to be true by showing that he had massive potential by making an impact with his miniscule role. His deadpan dialogue delivery and comic timing had the audience laughing out loud.