'Would sit and...': When Shah Rukh Khan made Mahima Chaudhary wait for 20 days on sets of Pardes

Not only fans but the entire film industry could not resist the charm and charisma of superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Recently, Mahima Chaudhry strolled down memory lane to share an anecdote highlighting the craze around the superstar. The actress remembered how she and the entire crew waited long to get a glimpse of the superstar on the sets of the 1997 film, Pardes. 

Mahima was talking to Radio Nasha Official, where she revealed that she had to wait for 20 days to finally meet Khan on the sets. And when he did appear, she was mesmerised by his personality. "During the initial 15-20 days of Pardes, everyone kept saying he would arrive today or tomorrow, but he didn’t show up. When he finally did, everyone huddled around him, because we were all new, and waited for him to say, 'Hi'. Once he started a conversation, everyone would listen. He is full of stories,” she said.

Further, Mahima also mentioned that she used to watch him do his lines and learn from his performance. “I would sit and watch his takes to see how he does the scenes, says his lines, performs the dance steps etc to watch and learn,” she added. For the unversed, Mahima made her acting debut with Subhash Ghai’s Pardes, which emerged as a hit upon release. It became the second highest-grossing film after Dil Toh Pagal Hai in 1997. She changed her original name Ritu to the screen name Mahima owing to Ghai’s superstition. The film also starred Apurva Agnihotri, Alok Nath, Amrish Puri and Himani Shivpuri in prominent roles. The film’s music also received widespread recognition. 

Meanwhile, Mahima was last seen in ZEE's original film, The Signature alongside Anupam Kher. Up next, she is geared up for Emergency, the political period drama directed by Kangana Ranaut. The film will see her play the role of Pupul Jayakar, a close confidante of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.