Following a leading role in the box-office flop "Dhai Akshar Prem Ke", Rai took on a supporting role in Aditya Chopra's ensemble romance "Mohabbatein". Rai's role was that of Megha Shankar, the daughter of Amitabh Bachchan's character who commits suicide after realising that her father will not accept her romance with one of his students (played by Shah Rukh Khan). Despite earning mixed reviews from film critics, "Mohabbatein" emerged as the second highest-grossing film of the year and earned Rai a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. The following year, she starred alongside Govinda and Jackie Shroff in the romantic comedy "Albela". Upon release, both the film and her performance received mostly negative reviews; Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama criticised the film and mentioned Rai as "plastic in some scenes".