 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).