Manisha Koirala is a Nepali actress known for her work in Hindi films. Koirala's acting debut was in the Nepali film "Pheri Bhetaula" (1989). Two years later, she made her Bollywood debut in Subhash Ghai's "Saudagar", which was a commercial success. However, she followed this by appearing in a series of films which performed poorly at the box office, including "First Love Letter" (1991), "Anmol" (1993), and "Dhanwan" (1993). Koirala's career had a turnaround when she starred as the daughter of a freedom fighter in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's "" (1994). Her performance was critically acclaimed and she earned a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. The following year, Koirala received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress, and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil for playing a Muslim married to a Hindu during the 1992–1993 Bombay riots in the Mani Ratnam-directed Tamil drama "Bombay" (1995).