Mahima Chaudhry was born as Ritu Chaudhry on 13 September 1973. Major biographical sources differ on her birthplace: The Indian Express lists Darjeeling, while IMDb currently lists Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. For a consistent database entry, it is worth noting this discrepancy rather than treating either location as unquestionably established.
Before entering films, Mahima worked as a model and television video jockey (VJ). She was noticed by filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who cast her in his romantic drama Pardes (1997) opposite Shah Rukh Khan and introduced her to Hindi-film audiences under the screen name Mahima Chaudhry.
Pardes became the breakthrough of her career. Her performance as Ganga was widely appreciated, and she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut in 1998. The success established her as one of the prominent new actresses of the late 1990s.
She followed her debut with films such as Daag: The Fire (1999), Dil Kya Kare (1999), Dhadkan (2000), Kurukshetra (2000), Lajja (2001), and Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar (2001). Her performances in Dil Kya Kare and Dhadkan earned her Filmfare nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
During the filming of Dil Kya Kare, Mahima was involved in a serious car accident in Bengaluru. She later revealed that numerous pieces of glass had to be removed from her face and that the incident had a significant impact on her career and personal life.
She continued appearing in films during the 2000s, including Dobara (2004), Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamaana (2006), Sarhad Paar (2006), Dark Chocolate (2016), and other projects. She later returned to prominent screen work with The Signature (2024) and appeared in Emergency (2025).
Mahima was married to Bobby Mukherjee from 2006 to 2013. They have a daughter, Ariana Chaudhry.