Mahima Chaudhry is an Indian actress, TV personality, and former model, best known for her debut acting role of Kusum Ganga in a movie Pardes (1997), for which she won a Filmfare Award and Zee Cine Award for “Best Female Debut” in 1998. Mahima then proceeded to appear in commercially successful movies such as Dil Kya Kare (1999) as Kavita Kishore, Daag: The Fire (1999) as Kajal Verma/Kajri, Dhadkan (2000) as Sheetal Varma, Kurukshetra (2000) as Anjali P. Singh, Lajja (2001) as Maithili, Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002), as Nimmi, and Baghban (2003) as Arpita Alok Malhotra. In 2004, she only had 1 role, that of Dr. Anjali Sehgal in the movie Dobara, while in 2005, she appeared in a number of movies, titled Zameer: The Fire Within, Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye, Sehar, Film Star, The Film, and Home Delivery.
The year of 2006 was also very successful for Mahima, as she presented herself with movie roles in Souten: The Other Woman, Sandwich, Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamana, Mr 100%, Hope and a Little Sugar, and Sarhad Paar. After she starred as Ria in the movie Gumnaam – The Mystery (2008), she decided to take a break from acting, only appearing in Pusher (2010) as Anita, and having a special appearance in Haanchi (2014). Mahima also had an uncredited role of ‘Gangster’s Wife’ in the movie Mumbhaii – The Gangster (2015) before officially coming back to acting with a role of Ishani Banerjee in the movie Dark Chocolate (2016). She also served as a judge in 2014 during the reality-TV series, Ticket to Bollywood. She has also amassed a large fanbase online with more than 100k followers on Instagram.
Sun Sign
Virgo
Residence
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality
Boyfriend / Spouse
Mahima Chaudhry has dated –
- Leander Paes (2004-2005) – In the past, she was in a relationship with tennis player Leander Paes, who she broke up with because of his affair with model Rhea Pillai, who was even married at the time. Leander even moved in together with Rhea in 2005 which further insulted Mahima’s image. When asked about it at a later date, Mahima stated: “He may be a good tennis player, but he didn’t play fair with me.”
- Bobby Mukherji (2006-2013) – In 2005, Mahima found herself bored with her routine as an actress. After she wrapped up the shooting for Hope and a Little Sugar (2006), which was filmed part in India and part in the United States, she went to the salon to cut her hair very short to prepare for the next role. While in New York City, New York, United States, she met Bobby, who was an architect businessman. They got married in 2006, and have a daughter named Ariana. Even though there were rumors back in 2011 that they were staying separately because of incompatibility, it wasn’t until 2013 that they officially separated but not divorced. She added: “I don’t have the time. On a serious note, we haven’t really given it a thought as it isn’t bothering us. I will go in for a divorce if I plan to get married again”.
Distinctive Features
- Prominent cheekbones
- Beautiful smile
Brand Endorsements
Mahima Chaudhry appeared in a TV commercial for Pepsi in the early 1990s, alongside actors and . She and Aishwarya also appeared in the commercial for Fair & Lovely in the same time period.
Mahima has also endorsed brands such as –
- Pioneer Herbals
- Indian Hockey Team (2005)
- TeenPattiParty.com (2006)
- Magniflex (2017)
Mahima also campaigned for Trinamool Congress for the Siliguri municipal polls in 2015.
Best Known For
- Her movie roles in Pardes (1997), Dil Kya Kare (1999), Daag: The Fire (1999), Dhadkan (2000), Kurukshetra (2000), Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002), Baghban (2003), and Gumnaam – The Mystery (2008)
- Being a talent judge for the reality-TV show, Ticket To Bollywood (2014)
- Her social media fanbase with more than 100k followers on Instagram
First Film
She made her theatrical film debut as Kusum Ganga in Pardes in 1997.
As a voice actress, Mahima Chaudhry made her first feature film debut as Bhagmati in the animated historical drama film Bhagmati in 2005.
First TV Show
Mahima Chaudhry made her first TV show appearance as a judge in an episode of the reality-TV series Ticket to Bollywood in 2014.
Mahima Chaudhry Favorite Things
- Actress – Juhi Chawla
- Her Own Movie – Lajja (2001)
Source –
Mahima Chaudhry Facts
- Her dad wasn’t a strict person, and would often willingly throw in an extra note or two. Her mom, on the other hand, was a disciplinarian and would give her the exact amount of money needed, which is why she’d always hoped her dad would drop her off to school.
- Mahima won the title of Miss India in 1990.
- Her acting career was launched by Subhash Ghai. He was also responsible for the career launch of individuals such as , , and Meenakshi Seshadri.
- When it came time to choose her name, Ritu first wanted to be named Riddhima, after one of her cousins. However, Subhash suggested her name start with the letter ‘M’ just like other actresses, so Ritu chose the name, ‘Mahima Chaudhary,’ after Riddhima’s younger sister, and later shortened it to ‘Mahima Chaudhry’.
- While her acting debut was the movie Pardes (1997), it featured an experienced and well-known actor, . Mahima kept waiting for him to come to the set, and when she finally gave up on waiting, on the 12th or 13th day, he came. Shahrukh didn’t shoot that day, they only talked, and when he finally began acting, she watched him perform in awe.
- She quit her acting career between 2008 and 2015 because she wanted to be an attentive mother. Mahima found acting took a lot of time, and she intentionally began making appearances at functions or cutting ribbons because it was convenient for her. However, Mahima felt it ruined her as an actress.
- She was involved in a controversy in early 2015 when the news reported that she had a hidden Swiss bank account under her real name. There were suspicions that she had some ‘black’ money stashed on it.
- Mahima’s salary for the movie Daag: The Fire (1999) was reportedly 3 million crores, which was around $283k in late August 2019.
- Mahima stated that being a mother changed her life for the better. In the past, she used to lose her cool easily, while later she became patient, selfless, empathetic, and compassionate.
- Her daughter Ariana is a film buff like her and rarely watches TV shows.
- Mahima’s favorite movie genres are romance, comedy, and action. However, she never had the chance to do a hardcore action flick, as she never felt experimenting in that genre.
- Follow her on and .
Featured Image by Bollywood Hungama / www.bollywoodhungama.com / CC BY-3.0
Facts of Ritu Chaudhury
- Gender Female
- full nameRitu Chaudhury
- nicknamesMahima
- birthplaceDarjeeling, West Bengal, India
- Date of Birth September 13, 1973
- Age 51 years 3 months
- Horoscope Virgo
- Lucky Number 6
- Lucky Stone Sapphire
- Lucky Color Green
- Best Match for Marriage Taurus, Capricorn
- nationalityIndian
- net worth$300 Million
- professionActress, Former Model, TV Personality
- weight59 kg or 130 lbs
- height5 ft 5 in or 165 cm
- hair colorDark Brown
- eye colorDark Brown
- body type / buildSlim
- collegeLoreto College
- sistersAkanksha
- favorite moviesLajja (2001)