From starting out as a child artist in shows like Balika Vadhu, to her Telugu debut with Venkatapuram and later Mosagallu, to Hindi cinema with Antim: The Final Truth and web series like Rangbaaz and Showtime, actress Mahima Makwana’s journey has been one of steady reinvention. Now, as Preeti Kaushik in Musafir Cafe on Netflix, one of the season’s most talked-about shows, she has given audiences a character they’ve fallen hard for, taken sides over, and seen themselves in.
Looking back on sixteen-odd years in the industry, Mahima’s first instinct is gratitude. “I feel grateful. Like everybody, I’ve had my ups and downs, but I am who I am because of my mother (Meena Makwana), she saw something in me and pushed me to pursue this dream. Seeing different people and living different lives between action and cut. You also realise that if you’re able to do it, you’re gifted, and sometimes you’re not aware of your own gift. You work on your craft, hone it, and that’s when you truly start enjoying it,” she warmly begins. Having started too young to plan a career, she never imagined television would eventually lead her to the big screen — yet it did, and today she hopes to keep collaborating on ‘stories with human connection’.
The biggest lesson over the years, Mahima says, has been about patience as much as effort, “My journey has taught me that hard work has no substitute, and you have to be patient because there’s genuinely nothing in your control. Sometimes the work being offered is limited, so you have to make the most of what’s in front of you.” She calls acting ‘a profession of uncertainty, but one that can bring immense love and adoration’ adding, “It comes with challenges and success; the success rate is low, but you’ve got to hang in there.”
Mahima’s ties to South Indian cinema run deep, starting with her 2017 Telugu debut in Venkatapuram. A recent trip to Hyderabad only reaffirmed her affection for the region. “Hyderabad is always lovely, I love their food,” she says, adding that the visit was tied to a project she couldn’t yet discuss.
Reflecting on Venkatapuram, she recalls the nerves of unfamiliar territory. “Language was a big barrier... I was too young to understand the language, and it was unknown territory, so I was scared and sceptical. But now I’m looking forward and ready for whatever South cinema has to offer,” she expresses. She’s drawn to the region’s love stories, citing Lokah, Dear Comrade, The Girlfriend and ’96 — and names Allu Arjun and Vijay Deverakonda as dream collaborators, along with Nani, Rashmika Mandanna, Trisha Krishnan and Sai Pallavi.
Talking about her recent project Musafir Cafe and why it resonated so deeply with her. Mahima traces it back to the show’s honesty about love and self-discovery. “I think it’s the genre of the show, because all of us have been Sudha, Preeti and Chandra at different points in our lives. It’s not just a love story, but also about self-discovery, different people entering our lives, and how they change our understanding of love and ourselves. It’s relatable and universal because ultimately, we all strive for love,” she explains.
The show’s refusal to offer easy answers, she believes, is exactly what makes it feel true to life. She gushes, “It’s not simple or easy. The show gets messy because some decisions are beyond their control, and sometimes you have to let go of love to understand why it happened in the first place.
Love, life and people are complex, and the show explores that through these three characters.” The online debates between ‘Team Preeti’ and ‘Team Sudha’ have only added to her joy. “We honestly didn’t expect the show to blow up the way it did, so I’m very happy,” she says.
The response to Preeti, Mahima admits, has been overwhelming. She expresses, “People are seeing themselves in Preeti, which is what actors hope for — that audiences don’t just like the performance but resonate with the character. I’ve never received this much love; people are rooting for Preeti, fighting for her and questioning how the show ends. I think Preeti resonates because of her big heart. We all want someone who chooses us, and she is someone who will have your back and choose you. That’s why people feel for her and think it’s unfair to her.” Preeti’s unresolved choices, she hints, may find answers in a potential second season.
As for how she chooses projects today, Mahima shares, “The most important one is a great script, and I’m very instinctive when it comes to my decision-making — if it’s challenging me as an actor, if it’s a world I’ve never been a part of… Sometimes it’s just one thing that your heart wants to do, and you follow it.” Neither scale nor platform matters to her as much as the story itself.
Beyond Musafir Cafe, she has more on the way. “I have a feature coming up soon, and it’s super different from what you’ve seen me do in Musafir Cafe, even as an actor. I also have another release next year, and I’ve done something in the independent space too,” she concludes.
