In 2001, Ajith appeared in three commercially successful Tamil films. "Dheena" co-starring Laila and Suresh Gopi, released at Pongal and marked the beginning of a new image of Ajith as an action hero who would appeal to the masses. He earned the nickname, "Thala" (Leader), from this film. In the same year, he was offered a role in "Nandha", which he rejected and was replaced by Suriya, the eldest son of actor Sivakumar. His next was the much-hyped thriller "Citizen", portraying him in ten different get-ups and it became a commercial success at the box office. A role in the family drama "Poovellam Un Vasam" followed opposite Jyothika and was a success commercially and critically, earning a Special Best Actor Award from the Tamil Nadu State. The year ended off with an appearance in Santosh Sivan's Hindi project "Asoka", in which Ajith played as one of the antagonist against Shah Rukh Khan, which did not perform well. In 2002, Ajith appeared in three films, the first two, "Red" and "Raja" being box office disappointments, the former further building up his image as an action hero. The third film "Villain", in which Ajith appeared in dual roles, one as a mentally disabled person and another as a caring brother, became successful and earned his second Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award.