Mahima Nambiar shot Mandaadi song 6 days after surgery for accident that left her with collapsed face, 20 stitches

While celebrating Mandaadi's success, director Mathimaran spoke about the circumstances under which Mahima Nambiar shot the film.

Director Mathimaran’s Mandaadi hit screens on September 10 and clashed with PS Mithran’s Sardar 2. The film starring Soori and Mahima Nambiar has since grossed ₹100 crore worldwide. Speaking at an event celebrating the film’s success, Mathimaran revealed that Mahima was involved in an accident days before she shot for the film.

Mathimaran reveals Mahima Nambiar’s accident

Mahima Nambiar met with a serious accident just days before shooting for Mandaadi.

Mathimaran spoke about Mahima while celebrating Mandaadi’s success. Revealing that she returned to set days after a major accident left her face injured, he stated that she shot for a song just six days post-surgery.

“I saw in a couple of interviews where you mentioned crying after performing. Thank you so much for the effort you put into the movie,” he said. Talking about the song Usure Needhan Pulla, he added, “I don’t think many people know about her accident. About five days before the shoot of this song, she had a major accident. Her face was completely collapsed and injured, leaving over 20 stitches.”

After the film’s release, Mahima posted pictures of her look from Mandaadi on Instagram. “I still remember calling my people and breaking down after doing certain scenes. The emotional baggage that this character carried felt too heavy on some days, yet somehow, I enjoyed every bit of it,” she wrote, adding, “Months spent in the same place, in the same house, surrounded by the same people… and after a point, Thondi felt like home, and the people there felt like family.”

Mahima Nambiar’s work

Mahima, who was born as Gopika Palat Chirakkaraveettil in Kerala, has worked in Malayalam and Tamil cinema. She debuted in 2010 with Kaaryasthan in Malayalam and in Tamil with Saattai in 2012. She is known for starring in films such as Kuttram 23 (2017), Puriyatha Puthir (2017), Magamuni (2019), Madhura Raja (2019), RDX: Robert Dony Xavier (2023), Chandramukhi 2 (2023), Jai Ganesh (2024), Little Hearts (2024), and Bromance (2025).

Mandaadi also stars Suhas, Sathyaraj, Mithun Jai Sankar, Ravindravjay, Bala Saravanan, and Stun Siva. According to the trade website Sacnilk, it grossed ₹111.80 crore worldwide and made ₹81.90 crore net in India. The film has beaten the lifetime collection of Arun Matheswaran’s Lokesh Kanagaraj and Wamiqa Gabbi’s DC, which collected ₹106.90 crore. It is trailing behind Venky Atluri’s Suriya- and Mamitha Baiju-starrer Vishwanath & Sons, which grossed ₹209.44 crore.