stage name Ramya, with the 2004 film Kuththu. The film had a successful run at the box office, as did her next Tamil film, Giri. Her debut film, however, gave her the name 'Kuthu' Ramya, by which she was then popularly known in Tamil Nadu, she had major box-office success with three Kannada films – Aakash, Gowramma and Amrithadhare – garnering critical acclaim for her performances and establishing her as a leading actress. In 2006, she starred in Julie, a remake of the 1975 Hindi-language film, but it failed to attract audiences. After her following release, Datta, her next Kannada release, Jothe Jotheyali, was a successful venture in spite of unfavorable reviews by critics. Her final 2006 release, Tananam Tananam, an average performer that released to mixed reviews, gained Ramya her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She had described her role in the film as "little complex" and "challenging". In 2007, Ramya starred in three feature films; the first of these, Arasu, was a huge hit. She then appeared as a sex worker in a film made to create awareness about AIDS as part of Mira Nair's AIDS Jaago project. Her last 2007 film was Polladhavan, released during Deepavali; it was considered a commercial success and her breakthrough in Tamil. Rajinikanth was all praises for the entire crew of Polladhavan. Her first 2008 release, the Kannada film Mussanjemaatu, was a big hit, and gained her a nomination for a Best Actress Award at the 56th Filmfare Awards South. She followed this with the Tamil film Thoondil. Ramya later stated that she regretted accepting the film. Later that year, she starred in the films Bombaat and Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu, the former performing well at the box office. Her final release in 2008 was Gautham Vasudev Menon's Vaaranam Aayiram, which also won that year's National Award for the best feature film in Tamil. She was credited as Divya in Vaaranam Aayiram. She dubbed her own voice for this film, which became a critical and commercial success. She did not have any releases in 2009, since both her films, Bhimoos Bang Bang Kids and Jothegaara, were delayed due to financial problems. Her first release of 2010, Just Math Mathalli, received rave reviews, with appreciation for her role. She had two more releases that year, the long-delayed Jothegaara and Kiccha Huccha. Her next release was the Tamil film Singam Puli, followed by