The years from 2005 to 2009 saw action-drama flicks such as "Vijayendra Varma", "Veerabhadra", "Allari Pidugu", "Okka Magaadu" and "Maharathi" which did not perform well at the box office. He paired with Sneha and Tabu in the mythological movie "Pandurangadu" (2008), directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. He played the dual roles of Krishna and Panduranga. Rediff described his performance as "Balakrishna does justice to both the roles of God and Ranga. He shines in the climax of the movie. It's quite a task to step into NTR's shoes, but his son has done pretty well, though one does miss NTR in the role of Krishna!". The film was an average success and his performance won him the Santosham Best Actor Award. In the year 2009, he starred in the family drama "Mitrudu", alongside Priyamani in a slightly different role – that of a dependable friend and confidante to the female lead. The film opened to average reviews.