made her acting debut with the 1997 film Pardes, starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role. Directed by Subhash Ghai, Pardes was a big hit at the box office and made Mahima an overnight star.
In a recent interview, the actress opened up about the working process in the 90s and said that there were no contracts before starting the shooting for a film. She confessed that Subhash Ghai was in shock after she requested him to let her read the contract while shooting for Pardes. Apart from that, Mahima also stated that things are more organised now and there are women on the sets working on a project.
Mahima Chaudhry’s Shocking Revelation
In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Mahima Chaudhry said that she started her career as a VJ and appeared in several advertisements before featuring in films. Since she was from an advertising background, she would read the agreements carefully. However, she revealed, “There were no rules. There were no laws in place. Now there is a contract. When we were there, there was no contract.”
Mahima Chaudhry stated that when she signed her first film, she would read every line of the contract given by Subhash Ghai. She recalled Ghai travelling to Madras (Chennai) for a meeting when she was supposed to sign the contract. When she asked him about the same, the veteran filmmaker told her that he never signed contracts with legends like Dilip Kumar and Raj Kumar.
Mahima said, “They took it as an insult if you asked them for a contract. They said such big people have worked with me, and they have not asked me, and you come around and you want to have a contract. So that’s how it was.” Subhash Ghai advised her not to think twice and just sign the contract.
The Dhadkan star also mentioned that the industry has changed to the better in terms of work hours, contracts and representation of women across departments.
About Mahima Chaudhry
Mahima Chaudhary was last seen in in the 2025 film, Durlabh Prasad Ki Dusri Shadi. She worked alongside Sanjay Mishra in the film. Mahima has worked in several popular films such as Pardes, Dil Kya Kare, Dhadkan, Baghban, Daag, Kurukshetra, Khiladi 420, Om Jai Jagadish, Dil Hai Tumhara, Saaya, LOC Kargil, Home Delivery, Emergency and so on.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer and successfully treated for it in 2022. Mahima was married to architect Bobby Mukherji in 2006. They had a daughter in 2017. The couple got separated in 2013.