When Mahima Chaudhry said film industry once wanted ‘virgins who had not kissed’: ‘The minute you start dating…’

Mahima Chaudhry once talked about how the film industry evolved through the years. She said that during her time, female actors were often written off owing to their personal lives.

Actor Mahima Chaudhry once talked about how the film industry used to not be so kind towards female actors. She made her acting debut with Shah Rukh Khan in the 1997 film Pardes. Talking about how the industry has come a long way from being a ‘male dominant’ one, she revealed how female actors were often removed from films due to their personal lives. (

When Mahima Chaudhry talked about the film industry being male dominant.

In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Mahima said in 2021, “I think the industry is getting to a position where female actors are also calling the shots. They get better parts, better pay, and endorsements; they’re at a great and much powerful position. They have a longer shelf life than before.”

“The minute you started dating someone, people would write you off because they only wanted a virgin who had not kissed. If you were dating someone, it was like, ‘Oh! She’s dating!’. If you were married, then forget it, you career was over, and if you had a child, it was like absolutely over,” Mahim explained how important marital status was when she joined Bollywood.

Mahima turned a year older on Tuesday. Earlier, in June, Anupam Kher broke the news about Mahima being diagnosed with breast cancer on social media. The actor underwent treatment in a hospital and said she couldn’t take up work as she had no hair. She later updated about being cancer free now.

Mahima will be next seen in Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming political drama Emergency. In the film, she will be starring as the cultural activist and writer Pupul Jayakar. Besides her, it has Shreyas Talpade as former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Anupam Kher will play Jayaprakash Narayan in the film.