The son of actor Manivannan, he has appeared in films including Maaran (2002) and Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA (2013).
Raghu Manivannan made his debut with the Sathyaraj-starrer Maaran (2002), with a critic from The Hindu stating "as the studious first year medical college student suits the character so well, that you forget that the lad is just acting out a role".
In 2013, Raghu Manivannan played a leading role alongside Sathyaraj in his father's 50th directorial venture, Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA.
[2][3] In February 2015, Raghu Manivannan announced that he was working towards directing a remake of his father's Nooravathu Naal (1984).
He began scripting the film to adapt it to modern day audiences, while signing on Natty Subramaniam to portray the lead role.