# Mahima Chaudhry

Mahima Chaudhry (born Ritu Chaudhry; 13 September 1973), 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.
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. This was followed by a hiatus and intermittent acting roles.

## Early life

Mahima was born as Ritu Chaudhry to a Jat father from Baghpat District of Uttar Pradesh and a Nepalese-origin mother in Darjeeling, India. She attended Dow Hill in Kurseong until class 10 and later moved to Loreto Convent, Darjeeling. Having grown up in the Darjeeling Hills region, she is fluent in both Hindi and Nepalese languages. She won the ‘Miss Darjeeling’ title in a local beauty contest.
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.

## Career

Chaudhry started her career as a video jockey. She made her acting debut with Pardes, in 1997. Chaudhry played a village girl opposite Shah Rukh Khan. The film was a major commercial success worldwide. For her performance, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut along with nomination for Best Actress.
Chaudhry's other roles were in Daag: The Fire (1999), 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. 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.
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.

## 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.
Chaudhry married Bobby Mukherji in 2006. Their daughter was born in 2007, and the couple separated in 2013.
Chaudhry was diagnosed and successfully treated for breast cancer in 2022. She mentioned that comedy shows such as Kapil Sharma Show helped her during her recovery from illness.

## 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 |
| 1999 | Dil Kya Kare | Kavita Kishore | |
| 1999 | Daag: The Fire | Kajri Verma / Kajal | |
| 1999 | Pyaar Koi Khel Nahin | Nisha | |
| 2000 | Dhadkan | Sheetal Varma | |
| 2000 | Deewane | Pooja | |
| 2000 | Kurukshetra | Anjali P. Singh | |
| 2000 | Khiladi 420 | Ritu Bhardwaj | |
| 2001 | Lajja | Maithili | |
| 2001 | Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar | Saraswati | |
| 2002 | Om Jai Jagadish | Ayesha | |
| 2002 | Dil Hai Tumhaara | Nimmi | |
| 2003 | Saaya | Tanya | |
| 2003 | Tere Naam | Herself | Special appearance in song "O Jaana" |
| 2003 | Baghban | Arpita Alok Malhotra | |
| 2003 | LOC Kargil | Reena Yadav | |
| 2004 | Dobara | Dr. Anjali Sehgal | |
| 2005 | Zameer: The Fire Within | Supriya Maheshwari | |
| 2005 | Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye | Gulab Khan | |
| 2005 | Sehar | Anamika Kant | |
| 2005 | Film Star | Heera Pandit | |
| 2005 | The Film | Sushmita Banerjee | |
| 2005 | Home Delivery | Maya | |
| 2005 | Bhagmati | Bhagmati | Voice-over |
| 2006 | Souten: The Other Woman | Mitali 'Mita' R. Singh | |
| 2006 | Sandwich | Sweet Singh / Sweety Shekar | |
| 2006 | Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamana | Anjali | |
| 2006 | Mr 100% | Shilpa | |
| 2006 | Hope and a Little Sugar | Saloni | |
| 2006 | 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 | |
| 2025 | Nadaaniyan | Neelu Jaisingh | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1995–1996 | Liberty Public Demand | Anchor |
| 2008–2009 | Jalwa Four 2 Ka 1 | Judge |
| 2012 | Chhote Miyan | Judge |
| 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 |
| 1998 | Pardes | Filmfare Awards | Best Female Debut | Won |
| 1998 | Pardes | Filmfare Awards | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 1998 | Pardes | Screen Awards | Most Promising Newcomer – Female | Nominated |
| 1998 | Pardes | Zee Cine Awards | Best Female Debut | Won |
| 1999 | Dil Kya Kare | Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 2000 | Dhadkan | Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 2000 | Dhadkan | International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 2000 | Dhadkan | Screen Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 2000 | Dhadkan | Bollywood Movie Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
| 2000 | Dhadkan | Sansui Viewers' Choice Movie Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
| 2005 | Dobara | Stardust Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 2005 | Dobara | Zee Cine Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |