In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Manivannan prioritised his acting career. At the height of his acting career, six of his film released on the same day in January 1998. Certain directorial ventures which he had started including "Aaruvathu Sinam" featuring Sathyaraj and Prabhu, were delayed and then dropped. In 2013 he directed his 50th and last film "Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA", a sequel to "Amaidhi Padai". Manivannan directed his best friend Sathyaraj in a good 25 films and gave 12 successive hits as the director of Tamil films with Sathyaraj as the lead hero – "Jallikattu", "Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi", "Ganam Kortaar Avargale", "Manidhan Marivittan", "Ullathil Nalla Ullam", "Vazhkkaichakkaram", "Pudhu Manithan", "Therku Theru Machan", "Government Mapillai", "Amaidhipadai".