Mahira Sharma, who rose to fame after Bigg Boss 13 three years ago, has been away from the limelight for a while. Ask her about it and she says, “I haven’t consciously stayed away. It just happened that after I did BB in 2020, the pandemic struck. I have done music videos and have been busy shooting for my Punjabi film and a couple of web shows, too. I’m waiting for my projects to release. So, yes, now I am back in action.”

The actress is excited to make her debut in Punjabi cinema with LehmberGinni and she also wants to try her luck in South films. So has she quit television? “No, I’m not doing a TV show right now because I am busy with other projects. But in the future, I will be happy to take up a television show as well,” says the actress, who has been part of shows like Naagin and Kundali Bhagya.

On the personal front, Mahira is in a happy space with actor Paras Chhabra, who she met in Bigg Boss 13. The two have admitted to being close, but they prefer to call it a beautiful bond rather than a relationship. Ask her about it and she says, “We have never said that we are in a relationship. He is my best friend and I share everything with him about my life and work. I even discuss my scripts with Paras.”

She adds, “We have been able to sustain our friendship because we appreciate each other’s work. We support each other andhe always guides me well.”

Mahira started her journey in showbiz six years ago, but there was a time when she did not want to continue. She shares, “I started acting in 2016, my first TV show was Y. A. R. O Ka Tashan. I took a break in 2017 and around that time, I felt that I was not cut out for this industry. But that was a passing phase and in 2019 I returned with Naagin and from that moment, I have been working hard.”

Talking about why she felt she wasn’t meant for this profession at that time, she says, “I have been through my share of ups and downs. In 2017, I wanted to quit the industry because I was a teenager then and just wanted to have fun and not work so hard (laughs). My parents always supported me and encouraged me to take up challenges. At that time, within a year I realised that I was in the right profession and I love acting. Since then, I have been working towards achieving my dreams.”