After Kapadia's separation from Khanna in 1982, she was keen on returning to acting, which she ultimately did in 1984. For the next decade, she would go on to become one of top five commercial actresses in Bollywood along with Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Meenakshi Sheshadri and Jaya Prada. Kapadia accredited the reason for her return was because of a personal need to prove to herself her own capabilities. The first film she worked on was Saagar, directed by Ramesh Sippy, after a mutual friend had notified Sippy about her willingness to return to acting. She first performed a screen test, which according to her was very unsuccessful as she was extremely nervous and "literally shivering" while making it. To her surprise, Sippy ultimately signed her on to play the lead part opposite her Bobby co-star Rishi Kapoor. Scripted with her in mind, the film was intended to be her comeback vehicle, but its one-year delay meant that several of her proceeding projects would be released before, the first of which was Zakhmi Sher (1984). Saagar eventually premiered in August 1985 and was controversial for several scenes featuring Kapadia, including one scene in which she was seen topless for a split second. The film was a critical success and was eventually chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars that year. Kapadia's performance as Mona D'Silva, a young woman from Goa who is torn between her friend (Kamal Haasan) and the man she loves (Kapoor), won her a second Best Actress award at the Filmfare Awards. A review by Asiaweek labelled her "a delight". Rediff.com noted, "Dimple, caught between a friend and lover, performed solidly and memorably, grounding the two male leads and making the film work." A 1993 issue of India Today wrote, "Saagar was in many ways a paean to her incredible beauty. She looked ravishing: Auburn hair, classical face, deep eyes, an aura of sensuality. It was clear she was back."