Mahima Chowdhry made a blast of a debut, a debut that could well be termed a ‘dream debut’ for any aspiring actor whether male or female. Some actors come to the limelight due to sheer talent, some because they have enviable connections. But Bolly watchers were always intrigued by comeback stories as opposed to stories of actors slowly walking towards obscurity. One actor who has certainly made a big comeback to tinsel town is Mahima Chaudhry. In an interview with Shambhudeep she dwells on the twists and turns in her career and her resolve to be in the forefront always. Excerpts:
Q A career spanning nearly two decades and 36 films. How do you see yourself having evolved as an actor?
– I think my career as an actor couldn’t have been better. Yes, I agree that there are some hits and misses and also some errors I committed. But, then, human beings do make mistakes. It is only mistakes and lessons learnt from mistakes that makes us mature and balanced as human beings.
Q You debuted with SRK as a co-star way back in 1997 with ‘Pardes’. Surely it is the dream of every actor to debut with a superstar?
– I didn’t even think that it will be a Subhash Ghai film I will be working for. Yes I must admit that I was lucky enough that for me all the three things worked. A wonderful director like Subhash Ghai who takes out the best in you, an excellent co-star and a friend like Shah Rukh and a great script which is equally important for a good movie. There are others who appeared in their debut films opposite superstars but for many of them it was the sole film of their careers. For the rest of your life you’ll be judged solely by your hard work, performance and loyalty to the profession.
Q Why the long break from 2008-2015?
– Apart from roles in front of the camera I have also been given a different role and that is of a mother. I had to take care of my daughter till the time she was big enough.
Q How would you rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 and when are we going to see Mahima back on screen?
– (Laughs) I am very bad with judgements. Well, on a scale of 1-10 I would give 3 may be 5. I’ve spent most of my childhood in North Bengal so I am now coming back in a Bengali movie directed by Agnidev Chatterjee.
