After she quit modeling where she was the reigning queen, to grab Subhash Ghai`s Pardes, she thought she would never have to turn back and accept modeling assignments again, only to eat humble pie when film offers dwindled soon and she was left without any work. She met ace Tennis champ, Leander Paes and fell head over heels in love with him. Now the couple is officially seperate. The reason? Mahima wants commitment, but Leander is not too keen to sign on the dotted line straightaway. He wants to live in the present till absolutely sure of...whatever!

The reason is understandable.The only film of hers which did reasonably was `Dil Hai Tumhara`, and it was not because of Mahima but Preity Zinta who had performed most admirably and reduced the former to a mere spectator watching the proceedings unfold. Having done quite a bit, but clearly out of the big league now, Mahima wants to settle down.

But Leander. The hero of Davis Cup battles is a pale shadow of his mercurial past now. His astoundingly successful partnership with Mahesh Bhupathi is over for all practical purposes, and he is not getting any younger and fitter. So, what is wrong with the idea of settling down after having made tonnes of money? Perhaps, he wants to wait and watch before tying the knot with Mahima. May be his search for the Miss Right which began long ago continues.