Mahima Chaudhry

Mahima Chaudhry (born Ritu Chaudhry; 13 September 1973),^[3][4] is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Chaudhry did a few modelling assignments and television commercials before venturing into films, with the 1997 romantic drama film Pardes, for which she received the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.^[5]

Mahima Chaudhry
Chaudhry in 2014
Born	Ritu Chaudhry (1973-09-13) 13 September 1973 (age 51) Darjeeling, West Bengal, India[1]
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1997–present
Spouse	2006 ​ ​ (m. 2013, divorced)​ [2]
Children	1

She played the leading lady in several films, including Daag (1999), Dhadkan (2000), and Kurukshetra (2000), and received critical recognition for her performances in Dil Kya Kare (1999), Lajja (2001) and Dobara (2004), earning nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Dil Kya Kare and Dhadkan.

Early life

Mahima was born as Ritu Chaudhry to a Jat father from Baghpat District of Uttar Pradesh^[6] and a Nepalese-origin mother in Darjeeling, India.^[7] She attended Loreto Convent, Darjeeling.^[1] Having grown up in the Darjeeling Hills region, she is fluent in both Hindi and Nepalese languages.^[1] She won the ‘Miss Darjeeling’ title in a local beauty contest.^[8]

Prior to her first release Pardes, she changed her name to Mahima Chaudhry upon the recommendation by her director Subhash Ghai, who believed the letter 'M' to be lucky for leading actresses in his films.^[9]

Career

Chaudhry at an event in 2011

Chaudhry started her career as a video jockey.^[10] She made her acting debut with Pardes, in 1997. Chaudhry played a village girl opposite Shah Rukh Khan.^[11] The film was a major commercial success worldwide.^[12] For her performance, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut along with nomination for Best Actress.^[13]

Chaudhry's other roles were in Daag: The Fire (1999),^[14] where she played a dual role; in Pyaar Koi Khel Nahin (1999) she played a widow forced to marry her brother-in-law; in Dhadkan (2000) she is a loving friend of a man who is madly in love with another woman: in Deewane she plays a singer in love with a thief: in Kurukshetra she plays the stubborn wife of a police officer: in Lajja she plays a young bride forced to fight dowry; in Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar (2001) she plays a stubborn tenant who will not give up her home at any cost; in Om Jai Jagadish she is the loving homemaker; in Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002) she is the sister who would do anything for her sister's happiness; in Dobara she is the frustrated housewife; in The Film she is a desperate struggling screenwriter; in Zameer: The Fire Within she is a paralytic dancer, in Film Star she is an uptight arrogant fading actress; in Home Delivery (2005) she is a South Indian superstar; and in Souten: The Other Woman (2006) she plays a desperate housewife who has an affair with her stepdaughter's boyfriend.

In 2010, Chaudhry starred in a Knightsbridge Media Production film, Pusher, directed by Assad Raja. She also worked in the thriller Mumbhaii - The Gangster, co-starring Om Puri and Sanjay Kapoor.

Political activities

In the 2021 West Bengal elections, Chaudhry campaigned for some candidates from both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress.^[15] In 2023, there was speculation of her joining the BJP ahead of the Madhya Pradesh elections, as she met the state Minister, Vishvas Sarang, and hailed the BJP government.^[16]

In 2024, Chaudhry came out in support of Prime Minister Modi, calling him an inspirational figure under whom India's respect has increased in the world.^[17]

Personal life

In 1999, while shooting for Dil Kya Kare, Chaudhry was involved in a car crash; her car rammed into a truck in Bangalore and multiple pieces of glass had to be removed from her face as a result of the accident.^[18]

Chaudhry married in 2006. Their daughter was born in 2007,^[19] and the couple separated in 2013.^[2]

Chaudhry was diagnosed and successfully treated for breast cancer in 2022.^[20] She mentioned that comedy shows such as Kapil Sharma Show helped her during her recovery from illness.^[9]

Filmography

Key

†	Denotes films that have not yet been released

Films

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1997	Pardes	Kusum Ganga
1999	Manasulo Maata	Priya	Telugu film
	Dil Kya Kare	Kavita Kishore
	Daag: The Fire	Kajri Verma / Kajal
	Pyaar Koi Khel Nahin	Nisha
2000	Dhadkan	Sheetal Varma
	Deewane	Pooja
	Kurukshetra	Anjali P. Singh
	Khiladi 420	Ritu Bhardwaj
2001	Lajja	Maithili
	Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar	Saraswati
2002	Om Jai Jagadish	Ayesha
	Dil Hai Tumhaara	Nimmi
2003	Saaya	Tanya
	Tere Naam	Herself	Special appearance in song "O Jaana"
	Baghban	Arpita Alok Malhotra
	LOC Kargil	Reena Yadav
2004	Dobara	Dr. Anjali Sehgal
2005	Zameer: The Fire Within	Supriya Maheshwari
	Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye	Gulab Khan
	Sehar	Anamika Kant
	Film Star	Heera Pandit
	The Film	Sushmita Banerjee
	Home Delivery	Maya
	Bhagmati	Bhagmati	Voice-over
2006	Souten: The Other Woman	Mitali 'Mita' R. Singh
	Sandwich	Sweet Singh / Sweety Shekar
	Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamana	Anjali
	Mr 100%	Shilpa
	Hope and a Little Sugar	Saloni
	Sarhad Paar	Simran
2008	Gumnaam – The Mystery	Ria
2010	Pusher	Anita
2014	Kaanchi: The Unbreakable	Herself	Special appearance
2015	Mumbhaii - The Gangster	Gangster's wife
2016	Dark Chocolate	Ishani Banerjee
2024	The Signature	Ambika "Ambu"
2025	Emergency †	Pupul Jayakar	Post-production [21]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995–1996	Liberty Public Demand	Anchor	[22]
2008–2009	Jalwa Four 2 Ka 1	Judge	[23]
2012	Chhote Miyan	Judge	[24]
2014	Ticket to Bollywood	Judge

Music video

Year	Title	Performer(s)	Role	Album	Ref.
2002	"Tere Bina Chain Mujhe Ab Aaye Na"	Adnan Sami	Unnamed	Tera Chehra

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations

Year	Film	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
1998	Pardes	Filmfare Awards	Best Female Debut	Won	[25]
			Best Actress	Nominated
		Screen Awards	Most Promising Newcomer – Female	Nominated	[26]
		Zee Cine Awards	Best Female Debut	Won	[27]
1999	Dil Kya Kare	Filmfare Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated	[28]
2000	Dhadkan			Nominated	[29]
		International Indian Film Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated	[30]
		Screen Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated	[31]
		Bollywood Movie Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Won	[32]
		Sansui Viewers' Choice Movie Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Won
2005	Dobara	Stardust Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated	[33]
		Zee Cine Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated	[34]

See also

• Bollywood portal

• List of Indian film actresses

References

1. Chhetri, Vivek (21 December 2011). "Hills smile to conquer 'camera' & hearts". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
2. "Mahima Chaudhry opens up about troubled marriage, suffering two miscarriages: 'It was due to not being in a happy space'". The Indian Express. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
3. "Mahima Chaudhary Turns 51: Actress' Comeback Story of Resilience and Talent". News18. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
4. "Then vs Now: From Pardes to Emergency, a look at Mahima Chaudhry's journey". Mid Day. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
5. "Pardes (1997)". India Today. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
6. "Actress महिमा चौधरी बोली मैं जाट हूँ, करनाल पहुंचकर". IBN24 News Network. 11 April 2021. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
7. "Mahima Chaudhry Beautiful And Cute". Postost. 27 December 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
8. "This Actress, Who Made Her Debut With A Superstar, Underwent Surgery After Horrific Accident". ABP Live. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
9. "The Kapil Sharma Show: Mahima Chaudhary thanks Kapil Sharma for helping her recover from cancer; says 'In my sickness, your show helped me a lot to recover'". The Times of India. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
10. Sonali, Kriti (15 September 2023). "67 glass pieces had to be taken out of Mahima Chaudhry's face, actor broke down when she was called scarface". The Indian Express. New Delhi. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
11. "Pardes - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com.
12. "Top Worldwide Grossers 1997". Box Office India. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
13. "43rd Filmfare Awards 1998 Nominations". Indian Times. The Times Group. Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
14. Chopra, Anupama (22 February 1999). "Film Without Fire". India Today. Archived from the original on 21 November 2000. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
15. "Bengal polls Days after roadshow for TMC, Mahima Chaudhry campaigns for BJP". India Today. 12 April 2021. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
16. "Bollywood Actress Mahima Chaudhary Meets Minister Vishvas Sarang". FPJ. 14 August 2023. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
17. "PM Modi Is An Inspiration". OTV New English. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
18. "When 67 glass pieces had to be removed from Mahima Chaudhary's face after she met with an accident". www.zoomtventertainment.com. 13 September 2021. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
19. "Mahima Chaudhry on challenges she has faced in life, being a single parent". Hindustan Times. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
20. "Mahima Chaudhry on her breast cancer", The Times of India. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
21. "Kangana Ranaut ropes in Mahima Chaudhry to essay the role of Pupul Jayakar in Emergency; first look unveiled". Bollywood Hungama. 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
22. Mehra, Devika (21 July 1997). "The M fetish". India Today. New Delhi: Living Media. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
23. Chaudhry, Mahima (15 November 2008). "Good riddance to bad rubbish" (Interview). Interviewed by Roshmila Bhattacharya. Mumbai: Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
24. "Sachin Pilgaonkar on a laughter roll". The Times of India. 3 March 2012. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
25. "43rd Filmfare Awards 1998 Winners". Indian Times. The Times Group. Archived from the original on 8 May 2006. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
26. "The 4th Screen Awards: And the nominees for 1997 are…". The Indian Express. 9 January 1998. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
27. "1st Zee Cine Awards 1998 Popular Award Categories Nominations". Zee Television. Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Archived from the original on 19 February 1998. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
28. Press Trust of India (13 February 2000). "Aishwarya, Sanjay win Filmfare awards". The Tribune. Mumbai, India. Archived from the original on 25 August 2002. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
29. Dhirad, Sandeep (2006). "Filmfare Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Filmfare. pp. 107–109. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
30. "IIFA Through the Years - IIFA 2001: South Africa". IIFA. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
31. "Nominations for 7th Annual Screen Awards are". Screen. 2001. Archived from the original on 19 February 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
32. "The Nominees and Winners for the Bollywood Awards 2001 were". Bollywood Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 7 April 2002. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
33. "Max Stardust awards nominations". Stardust. Archived from the original on 6 February 2005. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
34. Jha, Subhash K. (28 March 2005). "Veer-Zaara: Hot fave at the Zee awards!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

External links

• Mahima Chaudhry at IMDb
• Mahima Chaudhry on Instagram