2. Preity Zinta
Preity has spunk.
She started her career low-key, with a guest appearance in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se and took risks from the beginning.
Consider Kya Kehna (where she played an unwed pregnant girl), Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (a prostitute doubling as a surrogate mother) and Armaan (an obsessed wife with negative shades).
But her career moves were wise, and her only 2005 release, Salaam Namaste, was a big hit.