Mahima Chaudhry

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mahima Chaudhry

• Mahima Chaudhry is an Indian model and actress, who gained immense popularity with her debut Hindi film ‘Pardes’ (1997).

• She was born and brought up in Assam.

  

• While studying in school, she used to participate in various sports.

• One of her maternal aunts, who used to make documentaries for Doordarshan, motivated Mahima to make her career in acting.

• Mahima then started working as a model and appeared in various print advertisements and fashion shows.

  

• She came into the limelight with her TV commercial for Pepsi in 1995 along with the famous Indian actors Aamir Khan and Aishwarya Rai.

• Mahima then featured in a few more TV commercials for brands like Fair & Lovely, Hawkins, and Alapatt Jewellers.

• She then auditioned for a VJ in a Hindi music channel and got selected. She worked as a VJ with a few Hindi music channels.

• She was spotted by the Indian director Subhash Ghai in one of her music shows. Ghai offered her the lead role in the Hindi film ‘Pardes’ opposite Shah Rukh Khan. She was given the name Mahima (which is also her cousin’s name) by Subhash Ghai because he had a superstition that all his films with the actress name starting with ‘M’ have been successful. ^[10]The Times of India

• She was then signed by the Indian filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma for the Hindi film ‘Satya’ (1998). However, he started shooting with another actress without informing Mahima about the same. In an interview, while talking about it, Mahima said,
  

  I had taken the signing amount. Ram Gopal Varma didn’t even have the decency to call me or my manager and inform me about the reality. I learnt from the press that he had begun shooting without me. I had already given interviews stating that I would be shooting for ‘Satya’ in a week. I and Ram Gopal Varma had even discussed the look.”

• In 1999, she appeared in various Hindi films like ‘Daag: The Fire’ and ‘Pyaar Koi Khel Nahin.’

  

• In the same year, her one more Hindi film ‘Dil Kya Kare’ starring Ajay Devgn and Kajol was released. While shooting for the film Mahima met with a major car accident which changed her life. On the last day of the film’s shooting, she was travelling in her car to reach the shooting location in Bangalore. She was with her driver in the car and was sitting on the back seat. Suddenly, a milk truck came from the wrong side and rammed her car. The glass of the window was closed on the back seat where she was sitting, and around 67 small pieces of the window glass smashed on her face. She was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital. During an interview, she shared the incident, she said,
  

  I thought I was dying, and at that point, no one even helped me get to the hospital. It is only after reaching the hospital, much later, when my mother came, Ajay came and they went to discuss. I got up and saw my face in the mirror and saw the horror. When they did the surgery on me, they took out 67 glass pieces. I was preparing for a life without cinema. I was learning how to cope with it. Anything that happened post that was just God’s gift.”

  After a few days of being hospitalised, she returned to the shooting of the film. During an interview, she shared that the media reporters used to come to the sets of the film just to click her face with scars. Talking about a magazine article she got emotional and said that Stardust magazine wrote a very insensitive article about her at that time. She said,

  When I had my accident, they came on the sets when nobody was allowed. They took a shot from far because I still had scars. They put a picture of me on Stardust magazine’s cover and wrote ‘Mahima had an accident. She’s got scars all over her face. We can actually call her scarface.’ It still hurts me.”

  Mahima further said that her co-stars and producers of the film ‘Dil Kya Kare’ Ajay Devgn and Kajol helped her during that time. While talking about Ajay Devgn, she said,

  Ajay was like I get scars like this all the time. He was a very generous producer. He took care of me. When I went on the set, I was hiding the left side of my face because the scars were visible. The director kept bringing the camera closer. It is one of those things that stays with you. Ajay looked at me and asked ‘You are not ready?’ He told the director to let it be and told him ‘let’s not do this, give her time.’ He explained to the director that I am still not over the accident.”

  During that time, her name was also linked with Ajay Devgn. In an interview, while talking about it, she said,

  I remember the director went and told everyone that Ajay is in love with me and there were rumours in the magazines that I was seeing Ajay. That made me even more uncomfortable. He had just gotten married sometime back when we were doing Dil Kya Kare and that film was not even complete when they got married.”

• She then appeared in many Hindi films like ‘Dhadkan’ (2000), ‘Khiladi 420’ (2000), ‘Lajja’ (2001), ‘Dil Hai Tumhaara’ (2002), and ‘LOC Kargil’ (2003).

  

• In 2000, she dated the former Indian tennis player Leander Paes, but in 2003, the couple got separated. Mahima had caught him talking on the phone with the Indian model Rhea Pillai, who was married to Sanjay Dutt at that time. In an interview, while talking about Paes, Mahima said,
  

  It wasn’t really shocking for me when I came to know that he was going around with someone else. His exit had no impact on my life. In fact, I became more mature as a person,’ she said, adding, ‘I feel he did the same thing with Rhea (Pillai) as well. He may be a good tennis player, but he didn’t play fair with me.”

• After three years of her breakup, she got married to Bobby Mukherjee, who was earlier married to Aparna. The legal battle between Bobby and Aparna started creating troubles in Mahima and Bobby’s married life. Due to her stressful life, Mahima had several miscarriages, and later, both got separated/divorced. During an interview, while talking about the divorce, she said,
  

  You obviously don’t tell your parents, you don’t tell your people because you feel ‘oh, this was one issue’ and then you stay back and then one more issue and then you stay back and then I also had a – I was also expecting another child and I had a miscarriage. And then I had another miscarriage, it was all because of you not being happy in that space. Every time I wanted to go out and do an event, go out and do a show, I used to come drop my child at my mother’s home and then I stayed back two days and I used to feel I’m so much more comfortable here.”

  She added,

  It was largely difficult for me because I depend a lot. Obviously, I came back and started living with my parents and you depend a lot on your parents. That was the time when my mother was diagnosed with an illness and that was a time when she needed help and she could not be of that great help for raising my child. So, when I left for work, it was like leaving a toddler, and leaving my mother who needed assistance as well, so I had to completely depend on my staff. My dad had to live in Darjeeling. Then I had a sister who had a child too and she was single. So, it almost became like we both were raising children together. I was a single mother and had to earn money. With a child, it was difficult to take up films, as it would have consumed a lot of time. I started judging a few television shows, making appearances at functions or cutting ribbons because it was convenient for me. It also gave me quick and good money. Now, when I look back, I feel those assignments ruined me as an actress.”

• In the Siliguri municipal polls (2015), she campaigned for the Trinamool Congress party.

  

• In 2016, she started ‘Kilpauk,’ an advanced beauty and cosmetic clinic in Chennai.

  

• She received an honorary doctorate degree from ACS Media Corporation in 2017 at the 2nd NIER’s National Excellence Award.

  

• Mahima made a comeback in the Hindi film industry in 2022 after almost six years of break. In June 2022, she announced that she will be making a comeback with the Hindi film ‘The Signature.’ Along with the come-back announcement, she also talked about her breast cancer. On 9 June 2022, her co-star in the Hindi film ‘The Signature’ Anupam Kher shared a video of in which she talked about her breast cancer. Anupam Kher uploaded the video on Instagram and wrote the caption,
  

  Story of @mahimachaudhry1‘s courage and Cancer: I called #MahimaChaudhry a month back from the US to play a very important role in my 525th film #TheSignature. Our conversation turned to her discovering that she has #BreastCancer. What followed is in this candid conversation between us. Her attitude will give hope to so many women all over the world. She wanted me to be part of her disclosing it. She calls me an eternal optimist but dearest Mahima! “You are my HERO!” Friends! Send her your love, warmth, wishes, prayers and blessings. She is BACK on sets where she belongs. She is ready to fly. All those producers/directors out there! Here is your opportunity to tap on her brilliance! Jai ho to her!! #Cancer #Courage #Hope #Prayersss.”

 

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• In June 2022, while speaking to a leading entertainment portal, Mahima opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis and how she became cancer-free. ^[11]Filmfare She said,
  

  Cancer is very much treatable. It scares the sh** out of people but a lot of advances have been made in this field.”

• Mahima is a dog lover and owns a pet dog named Antonio.

 

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• She loves to drink white wine at parties and events.

  

• Mahima Chaudhry has also campaigned for PETA.

  

• She has been featured on the cover of many popular magazines like Stardust, Show Time, Prevention, and Good Housekeeping.

  

‘Pardes’ (1997)