Bollywood actress and former model Mahima Chaudhury turned a year older on Thursday.

Born as Ritu Chaudhry in the year 1973, the actress turned 39.

She started her career as a VJ on music channels and appeared in various advertisements.

She made her Bollywood debut in Subash Ghai's film 'Pardes' in 1997. During the filming, Ghai renamed her due to superstitions.

The actress starred in few hit films like 'Daag: The Fire', 'Kurukshetra', 'Om Jai Jagadish', 'Lajja', 'Dhadkan' and others.

During her career she showed her versatility by performing various roles. In 'Daag: The Fire' she played a nasty prostitute; in 'Pyaar Koi Khel Nahin' she played a widow forced to marry her brother-in-law; in 'Kurukshetra' she plays the stubborn wife of a police officer; in 'Lajja' she plays a young bride forced to fight dowry.

She won Filmfare awards for best debut in 1998.

She has worked with numerous talented actresses, including Kajol, Urmila Matondkar, Raveena Tandon, Rekha, Tabu, and Hema Malini.

Chaudhary married Bobby Mukherjee, an architect, in 2006. She has a daughter named Aryana