beau, was an entirely different and unexpected theme from Ranjith at the time. Despite the film not having a big star cast, fights, or punchy dialogues and being shelved after some pre-production activities it became a hit. In 2003 Ranjith directed Mizhi Randilum, starring Dileep and Kavya Madhavan, another family drama, which failed to impress the masses, but was critically acclaimed. In the same year Ranjith scripted Ammakilikood, directed by Padmakumar with Prithviraj in the lead role, which also got the cold shoulder from the public. In 2004 Ranjith teamed up with Mammooty for Black, which was a complete commercial entertainer targeting the fans of Mammootty. Chandrolsavam, starring Mohanlal, followed in 2005. Ranjith believes that it was not a bad film. He said, "Mohanlal fans expected too much. I don't think it was a bad film. Many who watched it on DVD called to say they were surprised it did not do well. Fans come in with pre-conceived notions on how the actor will be in the movie and the kind of story it will be, hence they could not grasp the poetic element in the film." In 2006, he scripted and directed Prajapathi, starring Mammootty, was also blasted by critics, and was another disastrous movie. His next venture was an offbeat film Kaiyoppu. Though a flop at the box office, Kaiyoppu brought critical appreciation from far corners and that compelled Ranjith to work with plots and themes without any commercial ingredients. Notably, its lead actor Mammootty received no payment to act in the film as the script impressed him so much. In 2007, Ranjith teamed up with Joshiy for the big budget film Nasrani starring Mammootty. His next directorial feature was the musical-comedy Rock & Roll, starring Mohanlal. In 2008 Ranjith directed Thirakkatha, based on actress Srividya's life, which won the National Award for the Best Malayalam Feature Film. Starring Anoop Menon and Priyamani, the movie featured Prithviraj and Samvrutha Sunil in important supporting roles. The movie was able to bring out the best in the actors. In 2009 Ranjith directed and wrote the script for Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha, which was critically acclaimed. Ranjith also introduced about thirty Malayalam stage artists through this film. In the same year he came up with another unique creation, Kerala Cafe — a fusion of ten different short films by ten directors. The different segments in the movie were conceived