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. (Photo: IMDb)The decision wasn’t an easy one for the young Mahima.“I started auditioning when I was nine. I would tell my mother that I wasn’t interested in acting. I didn’t understand this world. I would attend school for half the day, travel by bus to auditions and come back exhausted. But my mother kept pushing me. The biggest reason I became a part of this industry was because I wanted to support my family.”That responsibility came at the cost of her childhood. Mahima says she barely experienced school or college like other children. “There was nobody else earning in the family. We lived in a chawl, and people—including relatives—often looked down upon us.” Then came a conversation that changed her life. “One day my mother told me that before she left this world, she wanted to own a house.” The wish became Mahima’s mission.ALSO READ | Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma buy Rs 18.29 cr luxury apartment in Mumbai’s VersovaBuying a home at 14Mahima’s breakthrough arrived with Zee TV’s Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke in 2012. She was just 13. The success of the show transformed her family’s fortunes almost overnight. “After that show, I bought my first home. I was just 14. I bought a house in Mira Road and also bought my first car.”Story continues below this ad Mahima Makwana’s second home. (Photo: Mahima Makwana/Instagram)The achievement was extraordinary, but it came with a heavy price. “I missed out on the golden days of my life—school. I would only go to write my examinations. In the process, I grew up too early.”The humiliation that changed everythingBefore becoming a television lead, Mahima spent years working as a child artiste and junior actor, taking up one- and two-day shoots. Those early years were filled with disappointments. Recalling how child artistes were often underpaid, she said they would sometimes be promised one amount but receive only a fraction of it. “Sometimes we were promised Rs 10 but would end up getting just Rs 2,” she said, using the figures to illustrate the stark difference rather than the actual amounts paid. Mahima Makwana in Sapne Suhane Ladakpan KeOne experience on the sets of Balika Vadhu left a lasting impact. She was around nine or ten when she was handed a monologue opposite veteran actors Surekha Sikri and Anup Soni. Overwhelmed by the moment, she froze. “The director came to me and said, ‘If you don’t know acting, then why are you here?'”The words crushed her confidence. “I felt humiliated. I went home, memorised my lines and worked harder. It became a learning experience. After Balika Vadhu, I got my first break as a protagonist, and there was no looking back.”Story continues below this adYears of rejection before filmsEven after becoming a familiar face on television, Mahima’s struggle was far from over. She spent years auditioning for advertisements, films and OTT projects while continuing television work and trying to complete her education. “I studied on my sets because I didn’t have time to attend school.”Breaking into films proved even harder. “When it came to films, I faced multiple rejections. Sometimes projects got shelved, sometimes I was replaced. But I always believed I would make it to the big screen.”Despite working for nearly a decade, she says she continued to battle the stereotype of being “just a television actor.”“I still face rejections and get typecast. But I took my work seriously and myself a little less. I just kept working.”Story continues below this adHow Salman Khan changed her careerMahima’s persistence eventually led her to Salman Khan. While promoting her television show Shubharambh on Bigg Boss, she met the superstar for the first time. “He was intimidating but very sweet.” A year later, she received a call from Salman Khan Films for Antim. The offer arrived at one of the most difficult phases of her life. “My brother had contracted COVID, and Shubharambh was about to shut down. I didn’t know how to react.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mahima Makwana (@mahima_makwana)After meeting director Mahesh Manjrekar and auditioning for the role, she was cast in Antim. She still remembers what Salman Khan told her after she joined the film. “He said, ‘I know you have had humble beginnings, but there is no looking back from here.'”‘People suddenly wanted to become my best friend’The release of Antim in 2021 brought Mahima a new level of recognition. It also changed the way people treated her.“When I did Antim, people’s behaviour suddenly changed. They all wanted to become my best friend. It looks like overnight success to people who don’t know you, but for me, it was over a decade of hard work.”Rather than dwelling on setbacks, Mahima says she chose to learn from them. “I have learnt a lot from my failures. I have seen so many ups and downs.”Story continues below this adThe void that still remainsDespite achieving financial security and fulfilling her mother’s dream, Mahima says there is one emptiness that success cannot fill. “I don’t know what it feels like to have a father. When I see my friends with their dads, I don’t know what to feel. I feel empty and heavy at the same time.” Mahima Makwana with her mother. (Photo: Mahima Makwana/Instagram)She says her mother ensured she never felt deprived of love, but questions about her father have stayed with her. “My brother was nine when my father passed away, so he has memories of him. I don’t. Somewhere, you always want to know who your father was.”From one dream home to anotherA decade after buying her first house at just 14, Mahima has fulfilled another dream. Last year, she gave fans a glimpse of her second Mumbai home, where she lives with her mother. Every corner of the house reflects her personality, with custom-made furniture, unique colour palettes and decor personally designed by the actor. Mahima Makwana in her second home. (Photo: Mahima Makwana/Instagram)Speaking to Mashable India, Mahima said, “I bought my first house in 2014. At that time, I didn’t realise what it meant to own a house in a city like Mumbai. Eleven years later, I have a second home, which is much bigger. It is a huge thing for me.”Story continues below this adMahima made her Telugu film debut with Venkatapuram in 2017 before going on to star in Antim, Tumse Na Ho Payega, Showtime and, most recently, Musafir Cafe.At just 26, she has spent nearly two decades in front of the camera. The little girl who once skipped school to attend auditions has not only built a successful acting career but also fulfilled the promise she made to her mother years ago—to give her a home of her own. What’s more commendable is despite all the hardships, she managed to be a graduate. She holds a degree in mass media.