In 1995, Koirala made her debut in Tamil cinema with the Mani Ratnam-directed political romance "Bombay", starring alongside Arvind Swami. She took up the role on the insistence of her friend Ashok Mehta, at a time when other contemporaries urged her to not act in non-Bollywood film industries. It received critical acclaim, with American critic James Berardinelli writing, ""Bombay" recalls how forceful a motion picture can be. It also reminds us of the maxim that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it". For playing a Muslim who marries a Hindu journalist against the backdrop of the Bombay riots in the eponymous film, Koirala won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, the only time it was awarded to a recipient for a performance in a non-Hindi film. At the 43rd Filmfare Awards South, she received her first Award in the Best Actress – Tamil category. Koirala's performances in "1942: A Love Story" and "Bombay" proved to be milestones in her career, and established her in the film industry. The same year, she featured in the musical romance "Akele Hum Akele Tum" opposite Aamir Khan, for which she received her second nomination in the Best Actress category at the Filmfare Awards.