Actress
Mahima
Chaudhry
who
made
her
Bollywood
debut
with
Pardes
in
1997,
spoke
to
a
leading
daily
and
recalled
how
things
have
changed
in
the
industry
in
the
last
two
decades.
Mahima
told
Hindustan
Times
that
now,
industry
is
finally
getting
to
a
position
where
female
actors
are
also
calling
the
shots.
She
further
added
that
she's
happy
to
see
actresses
getting
better
parts
and
better
pay,
because
they
are
in
a
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," recalled
the
Dil
Hai
Tumhara
actress.
Mahima
also
asserted
that
not
only
actresses,
but
actors
like
Govinda
and
Aamir
Khan
also
hid
their
marital
status.
"Even
when
Qayamat
Se
Qayamat
Tak
came,
we
didn't
know
he
was
married,
same
for
Govinda.
People
didn't
show
their
children's
photographs
or
expose
them
as
that
would
tell
their
age!
All
these
things
have
really
changed
between
now," stated
Mahima.
Mahima
went
on
to
add
that
now,
people
are
accepting
women
in
different
kind
of
roles.
"Even
romantic
ones
post
her
becoming
a
mother
or
wife.
Her
personal
life
is
celebrated.
Even
the
men
used
to
hide
their
[their
relationship
status]
before,
a
lot
of
them.
Post
their
film's
release
or
many
years
later,
we
got
to
know
so
and
so
was
married,"
concluded
Mahima.