Her first film was Pheri Bhetaula (We shall meet again), a Nepali movie released in early 1989.<br />Her first Hindi movie was Subhash Ghai's Saudagar in 1991.<br />The film proved to be a good beginning, as it was the biggest hit of the year.<br />She starred in a number of unsuccessful films during 1992-1993 until Vidhu Vinod Chopra's love saga 1942: A Love Story (1994) and Mani Ratnam's Tamil drama Bombay (1995) came out.<br />Her performance in the latter was particularly appreciated and won her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance.<br />She was also seen in more commercial films, such as Mansoor Khan's romantic musical Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995) opposite Aamir Khan.<br />Her role of Kiran, an ignored wife who leaves her husband and child in order to fulfill her singing talent and subsequently becomes a popular star, earned her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. (*)