Shah Rukh Khan’s co-star survived a horrific car crash, had 67 glass pieces removed from her face, then battled cancer. How did she rebuild her life?

She marked her debut in Bollywood opposite Shah Rukh Khan with Subhash Ghai's Pardes, and instantly grabbed everyone's attention with her beauty, acting skills and screen presence. The actress is Mahima Chaudhry, who became a fresh face in Bollywood, whose journey has been marked by success, but along the way, she had faced some of the most difficult chapters of her life. From a horrific car crash that left her with severe facial injuries due to glass shards, to battling with breast cancer, the setbacks never pulled her down. The actress has addressed her fears, uncertainties and how she found her strength back.

Mahima Chaudhry’s horrific car accident changed everything

Mahima Chaudhry was already making a name for herself when tragedy struck in 1999. While shooting for Dil Kya Kare, which starred Ajay Devgn, the actress was involved in a serious car accident in Bangalore after her car collided with a truck coming from wrong side. The crash left shards of glass embedded in her face. In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Chaudhry recalled the extent of her injuries and the difficult recovery that followed.

“There were 67 tiny glass pieces,” she said, explaining that they had to be “scraped out under the microscope”. She also remembered how her face became even more swollen the following day. The traumatic incident raised questions if she would be able to continue acting.

‘I didn’t know what I was going to do in life’

The accident forced Chaudhry to step away from the spotlight while she recovered. In the same interview, she described the period as one of uncertainty, saying, “At that time, I didn’t know what I was going to do in life." She explained that she could not even go out in sunlight and had to carefully manage her stitches as they healed. The physical injuries was not the only worrying aspect. Chaudhry also feared how the industry and audiences would perceive her after the accident. Yet the setback did not end her career.

From Pardes to a successful Bollywood career

Chaudhry had entered Bollywood with Pardes, where she starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan. She went on to appear in films including Dil Kya Kare, Pyaar Koi Khel Nahin, Dhadkan, Deewane, Lajja, Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar, Dil Hai Tumhaara, Baghban and LOC: Kargil. In later years, she appeared in Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency and Nadaaniyan, which also featured Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor. Her latest film was Durlabh Prasad Ki Dusri Shadi, opposite Sanjay Mishra.

But her personal life brought another series of challenges.

Marriage, motherhood and difficult personal years

Chaudhry married architect Bobby Mukherji in 2006. The couple welcomed a daughter in 2007 before separating in 2013. She has also spoken about experiencing two miscarriages during a period when she was unhappy in her marriage, adding another painful chapter to her personal journey. In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, she hinted that there were marital troubles, which she even refrained to share with her family. However, in her own words, she said "Then you stay back and then one more issue", and she had two miscarriages, which she said, "was all because of you not being happy in that space."

Mahima Chaudhry was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022

In 2022, Chaudhry was diagnosed with breast cancer. Speaking at the Young Women Breast Cancer Conference 2025, she said the diagnosis came as a complete surprise because she had no obvious symptoms. In an interview with ANI, she said that she had "no clue" that she had breast cancer. In fact, she had gone for an annual health check-up. She had no prior symptoms. The actress laid emphasis on how important it is to get regular health check-ups done as sometimes cancer may not always be recognisable in the early stages. The Dil Hai Tumhaara actress underwent treatment and successfully recovered from the disease.

She credits Kapil Sharma’s comedy show for helping her

While battling cancer, Chaudhry found comfort in something much simpler: comedy. Appearing on The Kapil Sharma Show, she credited Kapil Sharma and the programme with helping her maintain hope during one of the most difficult periods of her life. She confessed, "Kapil, you are the reason for my good health,” explaining that after her diagnosis, she wanted to watch comedy shows so she could “forget everything and be happy”. For Chaudhry, the joy she found in watching the show became a small but meaningful source of strength during treatment.