Mahima Makwana Says TV Actors Can Be Judged Before They Even Audition: ‘People Already Have an Image of You’

Mahima Makwana has opened up about the assumptions television actors can face when they attempt to move into new spaces, saying perceptions about an actor can sometimes form before they even get an opportunity to audition.

Mahima Makwana is entering another phase of her career with Musafir Cafe, where her portrayal of Preeti has connected with audiences. In a recent conversation, the actor reflected on the character, her reunion with Vikrant Massey, the challenge of moving beyond her television image and the pressure actors face over their appearance.

Mahima Makwana on finding Preeti’s vulnerability

For Mahima, Preeti’s emotional complexity was one of the biggest attractions of the role.

The actor described her character as someone who experiences emotions intensely but does not always communicate them openly. Rather than presenting Preeti as an idealised or flawless protagonist, Mahima was drawn to the character’s vulnerabilities and uncertainty.

She explained that understanding Preeti meant paying attention not only to her spoken lines but also to her silences.

For Mahima, those quieter moments reveal another side of a character and can sometimes communicate more than dialogue.

Reuniting with Vikrant Massey

Musafir Cafe also reunited Mahima with Vikrant Massey, whom she had known since their earlier work on Balika Vadhu.

Years after their first professional association, the two actors found themselves working together again.

Mahima said that sharing the screen with someone whose career she had watched evolve created a sense of familiarity. She described Vikrant’s journey as one she had admired and said their reunion reminded her of how careers can come full circle unexpectedly.

The experience also gave the actors an opportunity to approach their work from a very different stage of their respective careers.

Mahima on being judged because of her TV background

One of the more candid parts of Mahima’s conversation concerned the label attached to actors who become well known through television.

The actor acknowledged that preconceived ideas can exist within the industry and suggested that an actor’s previous work can sometimes influence perceptions before a casting opportunity has properly begun.

“I won’t say people openly tell you that’s the reason, but yes, there are preconceived notions. Sometimes you’re judged even before you audition because people already have an image of you,” Mahima said.

Rather than trying to constantly challenge those assumptions through words, she has chosen to let her performances and project choices gradually reshape how she is perceived.

According to Mahima, each project after television has been a deliberate attempt to explore a different side of herself as an actor.

She believes that consistent work can eventually change perceptions, even if the process takes time.

The pressure to look a certain way

Mahima also spoke about another reality familiar to many performers: scrutiny over appearance.

She said actors can encounter comments about everything from their skin and weight to their hair and how they appear on camera.

Such remarks affected her more strongly when she was younger, she recalled. Constant opinions about appearance can make performers question themselves and feel pressure to conform to an externally defined idea of beauty.

Over time, however, Mahima said she learned that continually attempting to meet everyone else’s expectations can come at the cost of one’s individual identity.

Her focus today, she indicated, is more closely tied to health, confidence and feeling comfortable in her own appearance rather than pursuing an unrealistic standard of perfection.

What Mahima remembers from working on Antim

Mahima also looked back on her experience working on Antim: The Final Truth, where she had the opportunity to observe established performers, including Salman Khan.

She recalled the experience as particularly valuable because she had admired many of the people she was working alongside long before joining the film.

Mahima said Salman’s ability to make people around him comfortable stood out to her despite his stature in the industry.

One lesson she took from watching him work was the calmness that can come with experience.

For an actor navigating different stages of a career, that observation appears to have stayed with her.

Mahima Makwana on embracing her emotions

The actor also reflected on how her understanding of strength has changed with age and experience.

Mahima said she once believed that being strong meant keeping her emotions hidden. She now sees emotional honesty differently and believes acknowledging feelings can itself be a form of strength.

She has also credited her family with helping her remain grounded while her professional journey continues to evolve.

From television to films and newer screen projects, Mahima’s career has increasingly involved stepping outside the image with which audiences first became familiar.

Her comments suggest that the transition is not simply about leaving television behind. It is about creating enough varied work for audiences and the industry to see the actor beyond a single label.

As Musafir Cafe brings Mahima and Vikrant Massey together again, her portrayal of Preeti marks another opportunity for the actor to demonstrate that a television background need not define the limits of an actor’s career.