Tabu's first release of 1997 was "Border" a war drama about the real-life events surrounding the Battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pak War of 1971. She played the role of Sunny Deol's wife. Her role was small, but the film went on to be the second-biggest hit of 1997 after "Dil To Pagal Hai." That year, she also starred in the critically acclaimed film "Virasat". The film was a success at the box office and Tabu won the Filmfare Best Actress (Critics) for her performance in the film. The same year saw her feature in Mani Ratnam's Tamil political drama "Iruvar" which had an ensemble cast including Mohanlal, Aishwarya Rai, Prakash Raj and Gautami. She also appeared in "Chachi 420" (1998).