criticIn 2006, appeared in a cameo role in Jyothika starrer June R.

In the same year he starred with Jyothika and Bhumika Chawla in N. Krishna's
film Sillunu Oru Kaadhal. The film took a strong opening. It had an average response from critics,[34][35] but his performance was praised, with a reviewer
from Sify citing that "Suriya pitches in with yet another fantastic performance, be it the responsible husband and father, or the cool dude at college".
[36]
In 2007, his only release was director Hari's Vel, where he was paired with Asin for the second time after Ghajini. The film, which featured him in dual
roles, was commercially successful.[37]

2008–2013: Continued commercial success and stardom

His next release was another collaboration with Gautham Vasudev Menon after the success of Kaakha Kaakha. Suriya began work on Menon's
biopic Vaaranam Aayiram in November 2007.[38] Playing dual roles for the third time in his career, Suriya appeared as father and son, with both
characters demanding scenes shot throughout their lives ranging from scenes as a 16-year-old to scenes as a 65-year-old. During the production of the
film, Suriya described the project as "unique" and "straight from the heart", describing the physical hardships he endured during the making.[39] He lost
weight and prepared a six pack for the film through an eight-month fitness regime without steroids, with the move being a trend-setter for other leading
actors from South India.[40][41] The film, which also featured Simran, Sameera Reddy and Divya Spandana in prominent roles, became commercially
successful at the box office upon release and received positive reviews from film critics, with Suriya's performance being lauded. A critic
from Rediff labelled the film as his "magnum opus", citing that he is "perfect" and that the film for him is a "justified triumph". [42] Similarly, critics cited
Suriya's performance as "outstanding" and claimed that the film "works because of his performance", whilst other reviewers claimed the film was an
"out and out Suriya show".[43][44] His portrayals also fetched him several notable awards, including his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil,
a Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize and the Vijay Award for Best Actor for 2008.[45] The film also went on to receive a National Film Award for
Best Feature Film in Tamil for 2008.[46]

In 2009, Suriya's first release was K. V. Anand's action-thriller Ayan. With Suriya portraying the role of a smuggler, the film also featured Prabhu as his
guardian and Tamannaah Bhatia as the lead actress. The film was shot extensively across Tanzania, Namibia, Malaysia and India and featured
acrobatic stunts by Suriya, without the use of a stunt double.[47] Upon release, it received positive reviews, with critics citing the film as a "must watch"
and Suriya's performance was yet again acclaimed and he found himself nominated for leading awards and won the Vijay Award for Entertainer of the
Year, in addition to his seventh nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.[48] The film's success saw Suriya emerge as the most
profitable leading actor in Tamil films, following a hattrick of large commercial hits, with film journals suggesting that his success was due to
"experiments within the commercial format" and he was successful in "avoiding being typecast". The film ran 100 days in 3 states (Tamil Nadu, Kerala
and Andhra Pradesh). Ayan was the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2009.[49][50]

His next film, K. S. Ravikumar's action entertainer Aadhavan also achieved commercial success, while Suriya's depiction of a hitman was praised. A
critic from Sify.com labelled it as an "out and out Suriya show", stating that "the film rides on the magic of the actor, and his zany shenanigans alone
makes it worth a watch" and Rediff.com cited that "he sings, dances, and fights with absolute sincerity, but when he looks at you with tears in his eyes
in an emotional scene tailor-made for him, the applause hits the roof", concluding that it is "completely his film".[51][52] In 2010, he starred in his 25th
release, Singam directed by Hari, in which he played the role of a police officer from a small village going to work in the city. The film received positive
reviews with The Hindu newspaper noting that "Suriya shows that be it a performance-oriented role or a formulaic concoction he can deliver", while
Sify.com stated "Ultimately it is Suriya who carries the film to the winning post. His passion and the way he brings an ordinary regular larger-than-life
hero character alive on screen is lesson for other commercial heroes."[53][54] Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni stated that he became "a great fan of
Suriya" after watching Singam.[55] The film won Suriya his second Vijay Award for Best Entertainer, in addition to his eighth nomination for the Filmfare
Award for Best Actor – Tamil, and subsequently went on to become the second highest-grossing film of the year.[56] He made
his Telugu and Hindi debut in the second part of Ram Gopal Varma's political drama Rakta Charitra in 2010.[57] The film was released in Tamil as Ratha
Sarithiram, which was partly dubbed and partly reshot.[58] Suriya subsequently went on to appear as himself in three consecutive guest appearances,
appearing alongside Trisha and Madhavan in a song in Manmadhan Ambu (2010), before also starring in K. V. Anand's Ko and Bala's Avan
Ivan (2011).

Suriya and Karthi at the launch of Knack Studio

His only release in 2011 that featured him in a starring role was A. R. Murugadoss's science fiction action thriller 7aum Arivu. Suriya played dual roles
and starred alongside Shruti Haasan in the film, as a circus artist and as the Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma, who lived in the 6th century. The film
met with mixed reviews, but was a commercial success and became his fi