2000–2009[edit]

After a two-year hiatus from Indian cinema, Haasan decided against

reviving Marudhanayagam. He directed his second film, Hey Ram,
[42]
 a period drama, told in flashback, with a fact-based plot
centering on the partition of India and the assassination of
Mahatma Gandhi. Haasan produced and choreographed the film,
writing its screenplay and lyrics; it was India's submission for the
Academy Awards that year.[43] Hey Ram was a box-office failure in
India but was successful worldwide. Also in 2000, Haasan appeared
in the comedy Thenali as a Sri Lankan Tamilian with PTSD who is
under a psychiatrist's care. Thenali,
starring Malayalam actor Jayaram, was a box-office success.
Haasan's next film was 2001's Aalavandhan, in which he played two
roles: For one he had his head shaved and gained ten kilograms. To
play the other Army major in Aalavandhan, he went to the NDA for
a crash course.[44] The Hindi version was distributed by Shringar
Films.[45][46] Despite pre-release publicity, the film was a commercial
failure.[47]

After a number of successful comedies[48] including Pammal K.

Sambandam and Panchatanthiram and guest appearances, Haasan
directed Virumaandi, a film about capital punishment which won
the Best Asian Film Award at the Puchon International Fantastic
Film Festival.[49] He also appeared in Anbe
Sivam with Madhavan. Priyadarshan, its original director, left
and Sundar C. completed the film. Anbe Sivam tells the story of
Nallasivam, portrayed by Haasan as a communist. His performance
was praised by critics, with The Hindu saying that he "has once
again done Tamil cinema proud".[50]

In 2004 Haasan appeared in Vasool Raja MBBS, a remake

of Bollywood's Munnabhai MBBS, with Sneha which was a box-
office success. The following year, he wrote and starred in the
comedy Mumbai Xpress. Released during Tamil New Year, it was a
disappointment at the box office despite positive reviews. He
appeared Kannada language comedy film Rama Shama
Bhama with Ramesh Aravind. In 2006 Haasan's long-delayed
project, the stylish police story Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, was a
success. Directed by Gautham Menon, the film is about a police
officer sent to the US to investigate a series of medical murders. In
2008's Dasavathaaram, he played ten roles; the film was released in
a number of languages (including Tamil, Telugu and Hindi)
throughout India and overseas. Dasavathaaram, written by Haasan
and director K. S. Ravikumar, is one of the first modern science-
fiction films made in India. Starring Haasan and Asin Thottumkal,
it was the highest-grossing Tamil film (as of 2008) and his
performance was critically praised.
[51]
 In Canada, Dasavathaaram was the first Tamil film distributed
by Walt Disney Pictures.[52]

After Dasavathaaram, Haasan directed a film tentatively

titled Marmayogi, which stalled after a year of pre-production. He
then produced and starred in Unnaipol Oruvan, a remake of the
Bollywood film A Wednesday, where he reprised the role originally
played by Naseeruddin Shah with Malayalam
actor Mohanlal playing Anupam Kher's role.[53][54] It was released
in Telugu as Eeenadu, with Venkatesh reprising the role played by
Kher.[55] Both versions were critically acclaimed and commercially
successful.