Mahima was a model before she became a Bollywood actress

Mahima Chaudhury (born 13 September 1973 in , Kelowna, British Columbia , Canada, whose real name is Ritu Chaudhury, is a popular Indian actress. Chaudhury, is a former model. Soon as she made her film debut with the hit Pardes in 1997, she proved her acting abilities and went on to make many critically acclaimed roles during her years in the industry.
Mahima was a model before she became a Bollywood actress, once appearing with Aishwarya Rai in a Pepsi commercial. Simultaneously she also hosted the entertainment TV show, Public demand. Her first breakthrough performance, where she won rave reviews, was Pardes (1997) as Ganga, the love interest of two men played by Shahrukh Khan and Apoorva Agnihotri. She was chosen to be the female lead among about 3,000 applicants who auditioned for Pardes. Her career was launched by Subhash Ghai who had also launched the careers of popular actresses like Madhuri Dixit and Manisha Koirala.
She has been said to have changed her name to Mahima Chaudhury since Subhash Ghai has a superstitious belief of launching big careers with actresses whose names start with the letter 'M', but this is not the case, she has kept her real name as she believes that her real name is a very personal part of her and something that she wants to keep. She won rave review for her first performance in Pardes (1997) as a village girl who still values her culture. Unlike most top actresses in India, she didn't mind playing supporting roles in films (example: Dhadkan (2000), Dil Kya Kare (1999)).
Apart from her role in Pardes (1997), she also won acclaims on her role as Kavita, the devoted wife of Ajay Devgan in Dil Kya Kare (1999) which earned her a second filmfare nomination. She was also nominated for her performances in Dhadkan and Dobara. She has worked with numerous actresses including Kajol, Shilpa Shetty, Amisha Patel, Urmila Matondkar, Manisha Koirala, Raveena Tandon, Rekha, Preity Zinta, Tabu, Padmini Kolhapure, and Hema Malini. When asked, she expressed her desire to work with Juhi Chawla: her favourite actress.