Spurning academic pursuits, he joined a drama troupe called ‘Senkottai Ananda Sakthivel Paramananda Boys Company’ when he was 11 years old.

Subbaiah's performance as Kavi Anandar in S. D. Sundharam's play Kaviyin Kanavu staged by Sakthi Nataka Sabha in 1945 fetched rave reviews.

His first film was Vijayalakshmi (1946) produced by Pragathi Pictures, the forerunner of AVM Productions.

[3] Subbaiah's breakthrough came with the film Kaalam Maari Pochu (1956) in which he featured in a character role.

Subbaiah produced a film Kaaval Dheivam under his own banner Ambal Productions.

The film featured big-time stars like Sivaji Ganesan, R. Muthuraman, T. S. Balaiah, M. N. Nambiar, Nagesh and V. K. Ramasamy in well defined roles.