In the year 2000 Dia Mirza made her Bollywood debut opposite R Madhavan and Saif Ali Khan in “Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein”. She is an actor and will remain one she says. But at the same time believes people should pursue different paths in life rather than feeling content with the choices they have already made.
She went on to star in projects such as “Dum”, “Parineeta”, “Dus”, “Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd”.But then the former Miss Asia Pacific has appeared in fewer projects and here is what she has to say about it.
“My intention is to continue acting in films. But I think as we mature in the industry and your exposure to life and work increases, then I think as an individual you become more discerning about the choices you make,” Dia told PTI. “There is a combination of a couple of things. One is that I set up a production company at the age of 26. I have made and produced two films,” she added.
Dia owns the production house, Born Free Entertainment and has given out films like “Love Breakups Zindagi” and “Bobby Jasoos”.
Dia is unfazed about people’s opinion about her and the decisions she has made. She said women must strive to break the stereotypical mindset that tries to bring them down.
“I think there are many stereotypes that we as individuals need to break, especially as females in the industry. One of them being that once you get married people don’t believe that you are interested in working anymore… For some reasons, men don’t have to deal with all of this. So our choices will continue to break these stereotypes. Yes, I am very much an actor and will remain an actor till the day I die. At the same time, I am a producer as well and will continue to make films. And alongside that do everything else that I feel passionately about,” Dia said.
She contends that people must be allowed to explore the plurality in them and should not be caged to a particular sphere. “I think it is important that we recognise the multiplicity in people and let them explore that. I have the privilege to explore the multiplicity and don’t want to be contained by or reduced into one box or dimension,” she said.
As destiny would have it the actor will be next seen in Sanjay Dutt’s biopic, where she is portraying his wife, Maanyata Dutt. “I just feel that our destinies are intertwined in some ways. I don’t know what it is but I am so fond of him(Sanjay Dutt). He has been nothing but wonderful to me over the years and I have always enjoyed working with him,” Dia said.
“It was a very special experience to work with one of my favourite directors, Raju Hirani, and to have an opportunity to work with Ranbir Kapoor on a subject that is close to all of us and we care so much for. I have really enjoyed working every minute on the film,” she added.
The actor also said that there is a lot of “wonderful” things about Dutt and his wife that people do not know and will explore them through the film.