He began his career with a small role in the 1990 Tamil film "En Veedu En Kanavar". He established himself as a romantic hero with "Kadhal Kottai" (1996), "Aval Varuvala" (1998) and "Kadhal Mannan" (1998), and established himself as an action hero starting with film "Amarkalam" (1999). Ajith's dual portrayal of twin brothers—where one is deaf-mute—in S. J. Surya's "Vaali" (1999) won him his first Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor. He earned critical acclaim for his dual role performance in the vigilante film "Citizen" (2001). In 2006, he starred in "Varalaru", in which he played three different roles. It became the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2006. The following year he starred in two remakes"Kireedam" (2007) and "Billa" (2007), both of which earned him critical acclaim. Ajith played an antihero in "Mankatha" (2011), which became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time. His next release, "Billa II" (2012), was Tamil cinema's first prequel.