Mahima Chaudhry reveals how Satish Kaushik offered her Tere Naam's O Jaana song with Salman Khan after life-threatening accident: 'I couldn’t refuse'

Mahima Chaudhry, who made a special appearance with Salman Khan in the song O Jaana from Tere Naam (2003), recently revealed an intriguing backstory about how she landed the role in the Hindi remake of the Tamil film Sethu. She recalled that it happened shortly after she recovered from her life-threatening accident during the shooting of Dil Kya Kare (1999). The accident had left her with severe injuries, including over 67 glass pieces piercing her face.
Mahima revealed that she was not originally meant to be a part of Tere Naam. Following her accident, she sought to re-establish herself in the industry by accepting guest appearances and song sequences to remain visible to audiences. Interestingly, each of these projects turned out to be major hits, leading to further similar offers. However, this success posed a challenge for her, as she began to wonder how she could transition back to leading roles.
Mahima also recalled how the opportunity to star in O Jaana came about unexpectedly. “Satish Kaushik and the team were filming in Hyderabad and needed someone to dance opposite Salman Khan. They didn’t know who to cast, so Satish called me. I couldn’t refuse. When I asked about my costume, Satish told me to wear my own clothes, so everything you see in the song—my outfit, the accessories—was mine,” she told Bollywood Bubble.

Tere Naam is regarded as one of Salman Khan's best performances, and the 2003 film also marked Bhumika Chawla's Bollywood debut. Directed by the late Satish Kaushik, the film became iconic for its emotional depth and its timeless soundtrack, featuring hits like Tere Naam, O Jaana, and Kyun Kisi Ko.

On the work front, Mahima is awaiting the release of her upcoming films Emergency and Signature.