It’s Mahima Chaudhry in a new avatar. The actress, who hasn’t been making headlines for some time, is now going to scorch the screens in the reality show Jalwa 4 2 Ka One. The actress wooed the audience with her breakthrough performance in Pardes and proved her mettle in Dil Kya Kare, Om Jai Jagdish and Dil Hai Tumhara. So, how does the svelte actress feel about her new avatar? “Being a judge on a reality show is very challenging as you have to put yourself in the audience’s shoes. Besides that, one has to concentrate on the entertainment factor rather than the talent of the performers,” she says. People had written her off after the brief lull in her career. Did she miss the limelight? “Not at all! I have been doing a lot of endorsements. After becoming a mother, life has become demanding. I don’t care about being in the limelight. I am enjoying motherhood. After the short hiatus in my film career, I have now started looking for scripts and if I come across good ones, I will be back in movies.” How has the journey from modelling to acting to motherhood been for this ex-model? “I feel that nothing can match motherhood. Spending time with the family is more satisfying than doing films. I want to have six children,” she says. Not sticking to selective glamorous roles alone, Mahima has even played the second heroine in many of her movies. “I personally believe that it is a challenge to do double heroine subjects. I learnt a lot from Kajol in Dil Kya Kare and from Raveena in Sandwich. I had great fun on the sets of Om Jai Jagdish and was glad to be a part of the film. I never had any problem playing the second heroine as every role of mine had a certain impact on me.” So, what is Mahima’s opinion on some actresses packing their bags and moving to Hollywood? “Hollywood has produced excellent movies but I don’t think Indian actresses have much to do there. The working style is completely different and our artistes cannot work on projects round the year.” Does Mahima still cherish her sensational debut with King Khan in Subhash Ghai’s Pardes? “It was fabulous and a dream come true. I remember every shot in the film and cherish those memories,” she reminisces. So, is the Mumbai model game for south Indian films as well? “Definitely! I am not against acting in south Indian films. In fact, I did a Telugu movie long back. I would love to do more films in the south as the scripts are very appealing, the technicians are extremely talented and the music is breathtaking. If I get a contemporary script with a good meaty role, I would love to do it. Moreover, I am a fan of Rajinikanth,” exclaims the charming actress.
