He made a comeback in 2012 after a brief sabbatical with Manam Kothi Paravai which opened to moderate reviews from critics but was a commercial hit.
[5] The film went on to become a blockbuster, running for 100 days across dozens of theatres in Tamil Nadu, while it also enjoyed similar success in the neighboring state of Kerala.
[6] Vijay and Ezhil immediately decided to follow up this film with another collaboration, Pennin Manathai Thottu, with either Isha Koppikar or Roja to be hired as the lead actress.
[8] The producers had initially approached Simran, Aishwarya Rai and then Preity Zinta to star, with their refusals leading to the casting of Jyothika.
[12] The success of the film prompted Ezhil, Ajith Kumar and Jyothika to team up for a venture the following year with Raja.
[15] The film, which is set in a village, has been shot at Ezhil's native place Kayathur, near Mayavaram and Siva Karthikeyan's Thiruvizhimizhalai.
[16] After a fairly successful outing with Manam Kothi Paravai, Ezhil started his next film titled Desingu Raja, which was in a similar genre rural comedy.
Bindu Madhavi was signed to play the female lead as a Rajinikanth fanatic in the movie, thus pairing with Vimal for the second time after Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga.
[citation needed] In 2014, Ezhil directed Vellaikaara Durai, which received mixed reviews but was a hit at the box office.