Mahima Makwana lived in a chawl, lost father at 5 months, now owns 2 Mumbai homes at 26

Most actors enter the industry chasing a dream. Mahima Makwana entered it to keep her family afloat. Today, the 26-year-old actor is earning praise for her Netflix series Musafir Cafe. But long before OTT shows, films and television fame came calling, Mahima was a nine-year-old child travelling across Mumbai in buses after school, attending auditions she never wanted to give. Acting wasn’t her childhood dream; survival was.Speaking on Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast in 2021, Mahima recalled how life changed before she was even old enough to remember it. “I was just five months old when my father passed away. Back then, my mother worked at an NGO. My brother was nine. My mother had always wanted to become an actress but couldn’t, so she pushed me towards acting.” Mahima Makwana in Balika Vadhu