Current contestant Mahhii Vij has opened up about a surprising near-miss from her early acting days, one that could have changed the entire trajectory of her career. During a candid conversation inside the Bigg Boss 20 house, Mahhi Vij told fellow housemate that acclaimed director Mani Ratnam had originally picked her to play Meera in his 2004 film Yuva, a role that ultimately went to Kareena Kapoor Khan.
Mahhii Vij Talks About Being Cast In Yuva On Bigg Boss 20
Mahhi Vij explained that her professional journey began almost as soon as she arrived in Mumbai, when she landed a spot in the remix music video for the song “Tu Tu Hai Wahi,” appearing in a bright pink outfit for the shoot. That single video opened the door to a steady stream of similar work. “After that, I did a lot of music videos in my career, and all of them were hits,” Mahhi Vij said, reflecting on how quickly that phase of her career took off.
From there, her career expanded into South Indian cinema, where she got the chance to work alongside choreographer-turned-actor Prabhu Deva, and later shared screen space with Malayalam superstar Mammootty. According to Mahhi Vij, this stretch of work in southern films is what eventually put her on Mani Ratnam’s radar for his upcoming Bollywood project.
Mahhi Vij revealed that she was formally finalised to play Meera, the character who becomes the love interest of ‘s Arjun Balachandran in Yuva. “Then I did a film with Mammootty. From there, I was finalised for Yuva. Mani Ratnam selected me for Yuva,” she said, confirming that the casting had reached a serious stage before things fell apart.
Explaining what went wrong, Mahhi Vij pointed to a breakdown in her relationship with someone tied to the project, rather than any issue with her own casting. “For the role that Kareena played, opposite Vivek Oberoi. But some equations with someone had gone a little sour there, so it did not materialise,” she shared, without naming the individual involved.
More Details On Mahii Vij’s Career
Losing out on Yuva wasn’t the end of her attempts at a Bollywood breakthrough. Mahhi Vij said she returned to Delhi afterward and was approached for two or three additional film projects, all of which were eventually scrapped before production could begin. Frustrated by the pattern of last-minute cancellations, she decided to shift her focus entirely. “So I said, ‘I will do television,’” she recalled.
That decision paid off. Mahhi Vij went on to build a strong presence on the small screen, playing Nakusha in Laagi Tujhse Lagan and Nandini in the long-running Balika Vadhu. She later branched into reality television as well, competing on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Khatron Ke Khiladi, before winning Nach Baliye 5 alongside her now-husband, Jay Bhanushali.
Now competing on Bigg Boss 20, Mahhi Vij’s candid revelation has given fans a rare glimpse into how different her career path might have looked had that early Bollywood opportunity worked out as planned.