While on campus, he was spotted by director Radha Bharathi, who offered him the chance to be a part of the film Vaidehi Vandhachu (1991).
Saravanan subsequently played a series of the lead role in films in the 1990s, but his career came to a halt in the latter end of the decade.
He went on to make a comeback in Ameer Sultan's Paruthiveeran (2007) playing the paternal uncle of the character portrayed by Karthi, and won critical acclaim for his performance.
A critic from Rediff.com noted "Saravanan excels and doesn't look like someone back from a long break", while Sify.com's reviewer stated his performance as the "wayward uncle with a heart of gold is terrific".
[8][9] The success of Paruthiveeran subsequently triggered more offers for the actor including the opportunity to be a part of Sanjay Ram's biopic, Veeramum Eeramum (2007), based on the real life of Venkatesa Pannaiyar.
[11] On 23 June 2019, he entered the reality television show Bigg Boss Tamil 3 hosted by Kamal Haasan on Star Vijay.