Cheran made his directorial debut through "Bharathi Kannamma" (1997), a village drama narrating the relationship between the daughter of a rich family and their retainer, starring Parthiban and Meena in the lead roles. During its release, the film ran into trouble with Thevar community who almost imposed a ban of the film due to its content. However the film won good reviews and performed well at the box office. In spite of controversies, the film became successful at box-office. His second film, "Porkkaalam" (1997) was in the same genre, and also performed well commercially as well as winning favourable reviews from critics. The film, which explored the life of a hard-working potter and his poor family, earned Cheran an award for best director from the Tamil Nadu State.