Continuing the feature on Bollywood 2006, we look at top heroines, each facing tremendous odds this eventful year.

RANI MUKERJI [Images]
Last year, she ruled Bollywood with a critically acclaimed performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's [Images] Black, and as Babli to Abhishek Bachchan's [Images] Bunty in Shaad Ali's blockbuster -- also the year's biggest grosser. This year, she has Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Baabul (with Amitabh Bachchan [Images]) as her big releases, but will have competition from Aishwarya Rai [Images], who is back in Bollywood after a hiatus.

AISHWARYA RAI
Rai's Bollywood success owes a lot to Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas). She went on to deliver some duds, even though she won critical acclaim in movies like Raincoat and soon-to-be-reeased Provoked. She warmed 2005 with a sizzling item song (Kajrare) last year, and is back in the reckoning with Dhoom 2 [Images] and the remake of Muzzafar Ali's classic Umrao Jaan [Images]. Will Bollywood's import to Hollywood still rule in 2006?

PRIYANKA CHOPRA [Images]
Of her six movies last year, only Bluffmaster [Images] and Waqt did above average business. This year, she has started off with flak for her performance in the super-hit Krrish [Images]. She's got Don with King Khan [Images], where she keeps Kareena Kapoor [Images] company, but still needs a powerful performance to elevate her to the top position.

PREITY ZINTA [Images]
Salaam Namaste [Images] raked in Rs 29 crore to become the fifth highest grosser of 2005. Earlier, Veer Zaara [Images] did better with Rs 41 crore in the domestic market alone, but it was Rani Mukherji [Images] who walked away with all the accolades. It's now up to Zinta to recover lost ground in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Jaan-e-man.

KAJOL [Images]
The semi-retired actress was last seen in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Her return with Fanaa [Images] has been one of the reasons for the film's success, but she's unlikely to enter the rat-race full time.

KAREENA KAPOOR
A listless 2005 has made way for Don and Omkara [Images] in 2006. Though expectations from both movies are high, Kareena will have to share screen space with Priyanka Chopra (Don) and Konkona Sen Sharma [Images] (Omkara), indicating a struggle to gain a foothold in the list of toppers.

Also read:
Never been a year like this: 2006 at the movies
A few good men: Top actors are ready to battle