Tabu in 'Chandani Bar': In Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Chandni Bar', Tabu was the victim. She was raped by a bag of bones and became the stubble. Ultimately she was driven to the trade by her fate. Tabu successfully brought in notice the plight of women through her acting.

Rekha in 'Umrao Jaan': 'Umrao Jaan' showed Rekha at her sensual best. She portrayed the charachter of a sex worker with elan and her performance in the movie is one of the best till date. Perhaps, Rekha is the model 'kotha' woman of mainstream Hindi movies.

Manisha Koirala in 'Market': In Jai Prakash's 'Market', Manisha played an under-age Hyderabadi girl, who was sold to a sheikh. Ultimately the destiny-driven girl becomes the hot stuff of so-called flesh abyss. In the movie, Manisha managed to evoke viewer's sympathy and concern through her acting.

Namrata Shirodkar in 'Vaastav': In Mahesh Manjrekar's 'Vaastav', Namrata Shirodkar played vastly underrated performance. A brittle act in which she taunts don Sanjay Dutt to get on with what he is expected to at a brothel. Though the actress had a short role in the movie but still Namrata managed to keep the limelight on her with her critical performance.