After a number of successful comedies including "Pammal K. Sambandam" and "Panchatanthiram" and guest appearances, Haasan directed "Virumaandi", a film about capital punishment which won the Best Asian Film Award at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival. He also appeared in "Anbe Sivam" with Madhavan. Priyadarshan, its original director, left and Sundar C. completed the film. "Anbe Sivam" tells the story of Nallasivam, portrayed by Haasan as a communist. His performance was praised by critics, with "The Hindu" saying that he "has once again done Tamil cinema proud".