On her 52nd birthday, we look back at Mahima Chaudhry’s unforgettable debut in ‘Pardes’.
It is impossible not to recall the song ‘I Love My India’, a song that all of us have listened to or sung at some point in life. The actress who made the song unforgettable, Mahima Chaudhry, is celebrating her 52nd birthday today. Before stepping into films, Chaudhry began her career as a video jockey and also worked as a model. Her big break came when Subhash Ghai, who had previously introduced stars like Madhuri Dixit and Manisha Koirala, launched her career. She changed her name from Ritu Chaudhry to Mahima Chaudhry, in line with Ghai’s belief that actresses with names starting with ‘M’ were destined for success. Let’s take a closer look at the breakthrough role that marked her debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Pardes’.
‘Pardes’, released in 1997 on the eve of India’s 50th Independence anniversary, featured Mahima Chaudhry opposite Shah Rukh Khan, alongside Apurva Agnihotri, Alok Nath, Amrish Puri, and Himani Shivpuri in key roles. The film turned out to be a worldwide commercial success, emerging as the fourth highest-grossing film of the year, after the classics ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’, ‘Border’, and ‘Ishq’.
Mahima Chaudhry portrayed Kusum Ganga, a simple village girl deeply rooted in Indian culture and traditions. Chaudhry convincingly brought out the grace and innocence of a small-town girl caught between her traditional roots and the westernized lifestyle of her fiancé’s family abroad. Her expressions, natural charm, and performance portrayed the naivety and purity the role required.
(Credit: Filmibeat)
This role launched Mahima Chaudhry’s career, earning her multiple award nominations and the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She later went on to take up diverse roles in films such as ‘Daag: The Fire’, ‘Dhadkan’, ‘Deewane’, ‘Kurukshetra’, and others. Her breakthrough in ‘Pardes’ made her entry into Bollywood truly remarkable and turned Mahima Chaudhry into a household name.
