 Vikram was then signed on by K. Balachander to appear in his banner 's biggest production till date , <unk> , directed by Hari . Vikram played <unk> , an honest cop working in Tirunelveli who solves the region 's communal problems with his down @-@ to @-@ earth approach . Vikram worked on his body for the film , sporting a thick waist to show notable differences from his other police film , Dhill and also put on eight kilograms . The film took a large opening , grossing over Rs . 7 crores in 10 days in Tamil Nadu , while also taking the largest opening of the new millennium in Kerala , with the Telugu remake rights also sold for a record price . Due to the good opening , the film has proved to be profitable just 10 days after its release and consequently went on to become a blockbuster . Vikram 's performance also was lapped up by critics earning him a nomination for Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award , with the critic from Sify claiming Vikram had " succumbed to the superstar image trap " , but is the " mainstay of the picture " . 
