However her next release in 2003, the Hari-directed police film, Saamy with Vikram, became a blockbuster at the box office, landing her new offers. In 2004, she debuted in the Telugu cinema industry with Varsham, which went on to become the highest-grosser of the year and turned her into an overnight sensation. Later that year, she was part of another commercially successful Tamil venture, Ghilli. In 2005, she starred alongside Siddharth Narayan in the Telugu flick Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana as the village girl Siri. The film is about a rich boy, who tries to marry a girl - however her brother opposes. Directed by Prabhu Deva, it was successful at the box office,[8] and Krishnan won two awards for the film which include the Filmfare Award and Nandi Award.[9]She next appeared in Mani Ratnam's political drama Aayutha Ezhuthu, starring as part of an ensemble cast that included Siddharth Narayan, Madhavan and Surya. Her subsequent releases, N. Lingusamy's Jiand the Vijay-starrer Aathi did not do well at the box office, while Aaru was a success and was received well by critics.[10] Her 2006 Telugu film, Pournami, directed by Prabhu Deva, was a flop. However, another 2006 film, Something Something ... Unnakum Ennakum, where Krishnan acted opposite Jayam Ravi, did well at the box office. The film was a remake of the Telugu film, Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana, where she essayed the same role.
She starred in the Telugu film Stalin with Chiranjeevi, following which her Telugu film Sainikudu with Mahesh Babu was released. Her next release was Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule where she was cast opposite Venkatesh. The film, Selvaraghavan's first Telugu venture, was a family entertainer and received good response especially from the family audience. Krishnan's performance was critically acclaimed and won her accolades, eventually resulting in her third Filmfare win.
