The award was first given in 1953. Frequent winners include Nutan (5 awards), Meena Kumari, Madhuri Dixit, and Kajol (4 awards each), Jaya Bachchan and Vyjayantimala (3 awards each).
There are only four actresses to have won this award two years in a row: Meena Kumari (1954-55), Jaya Bachchan (1974-75), Shabana Azmi (1984-85) and Rani Mukerji (2005-06).