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In 2009, Shetty first starred in the blockbuster hit Arundhati. In this heroine-centric film, she essayed two roles for the first time.[4] It was a critical as well as commercial success. Her performance, as Jejamma in particular, was critically acclaimed and fetched her her first Nandi Award and the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Her next film, the action flick Billa, a remake of the 2007 Tamil namesake, itself a remake of the 1978 Hindi film Don, featured Shetty in a role contrary to that in Arundati. Her final release in 2009 was her second Tamil feature film, Vettaikkaran with leading Tamil actor Vijay. She had an array of releases in 2010, with her Tamil release Singam co-starring Surya emerging her highest-grosser of the year, while most her Telugu films performed poorly. She, however, won accolades for her performances, in particular for her portrayal of a prostitute in Krish's critically acclaimed Vedam,[10] following which she was selected to reprise the character in its Tamil remake, Vaanam as well. Her other 2010 releases were Panchakshari, Khaleja, Nagavalli and Ragada.
Vaanam became her first 2011 release, which received critical acclaimed reviews as well. Her upcoming films include Deiva Thirumagal with Vikram, Damarukam alongside Akkineni Nagarjuna and Rebel opposite Prabhas.
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