His next, "Mugavaree", won him commercial and critical praise. The film revolved around the life of a struggling music composer who faces sacrifices to proceed in his career. The film featured dual endings, one with Ajith succeeding in his career, the other with Ajith dejected. Ajith's performance was yet again praised with critics from Rediff, claiming that "Ajith is the real winner", drawing an allusion with the film's script, whilst adding that "it is amazing to see how Ajith has grown as an actor. He brilliantly portrays the vulnerable and sad Sridhar". He also appeared in A. R. Rahman's 2000 musical "Kandukondain Kandukondain", directed by Rajiv Menon. The film featured Ajith alongside prominent actor Mammooty and actresses Aishwarya Rai, Tabu and Srividya. In a similar role to his previous film, Ajith played a struggling film director facing an oscillating relationship with Tabu, with the pair being unanimously praised for their roles. After giving six straight hits in 1999, and having had "Mugavaree" and "Kandukondain Kandukondain" in 2000 as successes, Ajith had an unsuccessful film, "Unnai Kodu Ennai Tharuven", co-starring Simran.