Arjun then briefly experimented in softer roles, portraying critically acclaimed characters of businessman with "shades of grey" in Prabhu Solomon's "Kannodu Kanbathellam" (1999) and as an energetic civil service officer in "Vaanavil" (2000). He then featured in Vasanth's romantic drama film "Rhythm" (2000), where he played a photographer, who eventually falls in love with another widower. Featuring a popular soundtrack and opening to positive reviews, "Rhythm" also became a commercial success, with a critic noting "Arjun is as polished as ever" and adding "who would have conceived this idea that the "action king" could attempt a soft-natured role of this kind". He carried on with a lighter theme in his next directorial venture, the love story "Vedham" (2001), while he ventured into Telugu cinema again by appearing in Raja's "Hanuman Junction" and as a Hindu devotee in "Sri Manjunatha" (2001).