She appeared in two films in 2008; Honganasu, her first Kannada project and Aayudham Seivom in Tamil. The latter, which featured her as the female lead opposite Sundar C., was panned by critics and she was criticized for accepting that role, with reviewers noting that she had nothing to do in the film,”except roll her eyes”. She next played Kani, a fiery, independent sales girl in a textile showroom in Angadi Theru (2010) that released two years after her last venture. The Vasanthabalan-directed tragedy drama focussed on the lives of young employees who work in retail department stores. The film was shot in real location at the Ranganathan Street in T. Nagar, Chennai with hidden cameras, with Anjali disclosing that they wore the uniform of a particular textile company, passing off as real salepeople and selling goods. Angadi Theru opened to rave reviews, whilst also fetching Anjali critical acclaim for her performance, who went on to bag several accolades, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil. She subsequently appeared in two family drama films; S Pictures’ Rettaisuzhi, in which she shared screen with veteran directors Bharathiraja and K. Balachandar, and Magizhchi, co-starring and directed by Gowthaman. The latter released to favorable reviews, and Anjali received positive feedback on her performance, being labelled as “impressive”, and “almost perfect as the young, a bit mischievous, village girl”; however both films failed to succeed at the box office.
