Falguni Pathak’s Maine Payal Hai Chhankai girl Himani Shah sparks nostalgia with old clip, jokes she hasn’t topped that career high

Himani Shah, who starred as the popular girl in Falguni Pathak’s 1999 hit music video Maine Payal Hai Chhankai, shared a nostalgic post.

Navratri and garba festivities are incomplete without Falguni Pathak’s iconic numbers. Actor and model Himani Shah, who starred in Falguni’s 1999 music video Maine Payal Hai Chhankai, recently shared a clip from the song, joking that it was the peak of her career that she has been unable to surpass since.

Himani Shah starred in Falguni Pathak’s Maine Payal Hai Chhankai music video.

'I fear I already peaked'

Himani shared the clip with the text, “I fear I already peaked.” She captioned the post, “You guys listen to Falguni Pathak during Navratri. I have receipts.”

Himani's post made fans nostalgic. A comment read, "Childhood Crush." One more comment read, "mimicking you was my fav thing in childhood and even today." Another comment read, "Baddie before the term was coined." Another fan wrote, “Too good, and I wanted to be you when I was a kid and now i am haha.”

Who is Himani Rajiv Shah?

Himani played one of the key characters in the music video Maine Payal Hai Chhankai. Set against the backdrop of a college arts and puppet show, the video featured Himani as a popular girl who mocks a simple girl who performs puppet shows with Falguni Pathak. The latter was played by Anita Pradhan Kharkar. The video also featured Vivan Bhatena as the male lead. Vivan went on to become a familiar face on television and appeared in films such as Dangal (2016), Judwaa 2 (2017) and Raja the Great (2017).

Beyond her appearance in Falguni Pathak’s hit, Himani was a prominent MTV India VJ and model. She also made a cameo in the 2001 Bollywood film Yaadein and acted in the 2005 film Rehle Rehle Na.

Today, Himani, who goes by her married name Himani Rajiv Shah, works as a beauty, fashion and luxury lifestyle digital creator based in Mumbai. She has 118K followers on Instagram and is followed by celebrities, including Kareena Kapoor Khan. She is married to Rajiv Shah, the son of prominent Mumbai diamond merchant and film financier Bharat Shah. The couple are parents to two kids.

About Falguni Pathak

Falguni Pathak, meanwhile, remains one of India’s most popular voices associated with Navratri and dandiya celebrations. Often called the ‘Dandiya Queen’, she rose to fame in the 1990s with her distinctive Gujarati folk-inspired pop music. Songs such as Maine Payal Hai Chhankai, Chudi Jo Khanki Haathon Mein and Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaye became chartbusters. Decades later, her songs remain a staple at garba nights.