Ajith's first commercially successful film as a lead actor was "Aasai" (1995). The film, directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam featured him in the lead role opposite Suvalakshmi, whose brother-in-law infatuates about her. The film became performed well at the box office and established Ajith as an upcoming actor in the Tamil film industry. He later played the lead in "Kalloori Vaasal", co-starring Prashanth and Pooja Bhatt. Ajith's second successful film came in the form of National Award winning "Kadhal Kottai", in which Ajith reunited with Agathiyan, the director of the earlier project "Vaanmathi." The film "Kadhal Kottai" paired him opposite Devayani, with Heera Rajgopal playing a supporting role.