 The following year, Vikram went on to play the title role in Saran's Gemini produced by AVM Productions, his first big-budget film in the Tamil industry, which featured him in the role of a local rowdy. The action film won good reviews, with a critic citing that Vikram "delivers a convincing performance" and consequently became a box office triumph. Similarly, the film's soundtrack composed by Bharathwaj had become popular prior to release, with Vikram also singing a version of the hit song "O Podu!" for the album. Balaji Sakthivel's Samurai was his next release featuring him as a vigilante Robin Hood-esque figure who kidnapped corrupt politicians. Vikram had signed the film in early 2000 and the film was on hold during production leading to a two-year delay and the film finally opened to average reviews and collections. The critic from The Hindu drew praise for Vikram's "admirably well-maintained physique and powerful eyes", whilst another labelled that the film's single major positive was Vikram's convincing portrayal. His final release of the year was Prabhu Solomon's King, a drama film which featured him alongside Sneha and Nassar. Vikram played Raja, a magician, who is unaware that he has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis with his family trying to keep the truth away from him. The film also met with an unfavorable response commercially but won positive acclaim from critics.
