the film", labelling her performance as "natural", while Sify noted that she had "transformed herself into a fine actress with immense screen presence". A critic from fullhyderabad.com praised her, citing that she had shown why Tamil Nadu was "busy building her a temple", further adding that she looked "so fresh and fine, you feel like gifting her to the roses". While the film was a major commercial success, running for over 175 days theatres, being declared a "sensational hit" and becoming one of the highest-grossers of the year, Trisha won her first Filmfare Awards for Best Actress – Telugu, as well as the Santosham Award for Best Actress. She was also offered the same role in its Tamil remake Mazhai, which she however declined. Later that year, she enacted the female lead opposite Vijay in the action comedy film Ghilli. She played the character of Dhanalakshmi, a helpless girl, whom a Kabaddi player tries to save from the clutches of an influential thug, who wants to marry her, with most critics agreeing that her performance was overshadowed by Vijay, and Prakash Raj's in particular. The film eventually emerged the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year, celebrating a 175-days-run, too, and remains Trisha's biggest commercial success at the time. She next appeared in a small role in Mani Ratnam's political drama Aayutha Ezhuthu, starring as part of an ensemble cast that included Siddharth, Madhavan and Surya. The film, despite favourable reviews, performed poorly at the box office, while she was again outshone by the three lead male actors. In the following two years, Trisha had 12 releases overall, which all but one featured her as the female lead. She was part of two male-oriented action-masala flicks Thirupaachi and Aaru, directed by Perarasu and Hari, which both offered only limited roles for her, with the former becoming a major commercial success. In her second Telugu project, the romantic drama Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana, she starred alongside Siddharth. The film, being Prabhu Deva's directorial début, opened to rave reviews, with Trisha receiving praise for her portrayal as the village girl Siri, which earned her several Best Actress awards, including her second consecutive Filmfare Awards for Best Actress – Telugu and her first Nandi Award for Best Actress. Idlebrain noted that she was "just great. Her tender looks, innocent face and Telugu traditional costumes make her a treat to watch", further labelling her expressions and "naughty