1. Who would have expected our good ol’ Koko to top this list, beating some of the most glamourous actresses around. But our readers rose to the occasion, put acting before all else, and made their choice clear — KONKONA SENSHARMA for Life in a... Metro. The screen time may not have been much, what with the Anurag Basu film juggling four stories in one movie, but Konkona did enough to win a whopping 40 per cent votes from you. Shruti struggled to find a match in Metro but Konkona breezed through yet another difficult role and when she finally got together with Irrfan’s Monty it proved that sheer talent still tops.

2. Everyone kept going gaga over Abhishek Bachchan’s histrionic turn in Guru but alongside him Aishwarya Rai was, for once, going about her job quietly and efficiently. Coming together with her first director Mani Ratnam, the Iruvar debutante aged gracefully, acted beautifully. And perhaps most importantly, she showed that Abhishek has chemistry beyond Rani Mukerji. You recognised that and gave Ash 24 per cent votes and the runners-up prize.

3. We didn’t consider Mira Nair’s The Namesake because the film was co-produced by a foreign studio and that pretty much made it an American film. Had that been considered Tabu might well have run Konkona close in the Best Actress category for her performance as Ashima Ganguli. Here, she claims the Number Three spot for her Cheeni Kum act. It’s never easy to stand up to Amitabh Bachchan but Tabu stood tall (and without eight-inch heels). She brought a certain maturity-mischief mix to the role of Tangri Kebab that was both endearing and alluring. With another towering performance, Tabu wins 16 per cent of your votes

4. It’s not easy when you have to match a performance like Rohini Hatangaddi’s in Gandhi but SHEFALI SHAH made Kasturba Gandhi her own in Gandhi My Father. Despite extraordinary performances from Akshaye Khanna and Darshan Zariwalla, Shefali stood out yet again. The 11.5 per cent votes bear testimony to her acting prowess in a film that failed at the box office.

5. It’s not surprising that despite her best performance ever, the beautiful KATRINA KAIF is struggling in this category alongside ladies far better known for their acting skills. And with Namastey London being a feel-good romcom, Kat’s chances of being taken seriously were not too bright. But she did make a difference in the movie as the phirang girl who wants to have nothing to do with the gaon ka chhora. And her smouldering chemistry with Akshay Kumar made sure that 8.5 per cent of our readers were happy to say Namastey Kats.