After her reign as Miss Universe was over, Sushmita became an actress. Her first movie, Dastak was in 1996, in which she played the victim of a stalker. The movie did not do well at the box office. However, two years later her appearance as Rupali in David Dhawan’s movie Biwi No.1 won her the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award in 1999. Biwi No.1 was the highest grossing movie of 1999. The same year, she was also nominated for her role in Sirf Tum in the same category, making her an obvious choice for winner. She received critical acclaim and box office success for film Aankhen.