Santhanam is a Tamil film actor, who began acting in films, debuting in 'Pesatha Kannum Pesume' in a small role. After the success of the Lollu Sabha he re-entered in to the Tamil films in Manmadhan (2004) alongside Silambarasan Rajendar and later acted alongside the Tamil film industry's top stars, including Rajinikanth, Vijay, Ajith, Surya Sivakumar, Karthi Sivakumar, Jayam Ravi, Arya, and countless others, as well as multiple films with Silambarasan. He played the lead role in Arai Enn 305-il Kadavul (2008), along with Prakash Raj. Unlike veteran comedians like Vadivelu and Vivek, who usually act in a comedy track separate from the main plot, Santhanam plays the role of the hero's friend (and sometimes, foil), contributing more to the actual story. He won the Vijay Award for Best Comedian in 2010 for his role in Siva Manasula Sakthi (2009). He received wide praise for his roles in films directed by M. Rajesh, such as Siva Manasula Sakthi (2009) and Boss Engira Baskaran (2010).