The Global Conversationist Dia Mirza

One look at Dia Mirza’s Instagram account and you would be amazed at how she always manages to look at the brighter side of life. “Honestly, the last thing the world needs right now is hate,” says the beautiful actor, adding that while we must question and challenge things, communication becomes counter-productive when it’s filled with hate.

During the lockdown, the actor and producer have been busy reading scripts. “We are very fortunate that we can be at home and continue to work because we can see what’s happening. I guess it’s a challenge for everyone at some level or the other. The only way is to take it one day at a time,” says the enterprising lady who is also the UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador & United Nations Secretary-General Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals. TMM chatted with the August cover girl to delve deeper into her inspiring journey…

Dia Mirza, You started working from a very young age and went on to earn the title of Miss Asia Pacific at the age of 18. What are some of the teachings you took with you from those days?
I was about 15-and-a-half years old when I became determined about seeking financial independence and started working part-time at a multimedia studio. Modelling happened by chance when a model coordinator spotted me and asked me to participate in a fashion show. I realized it was something that really challenged my growth. It gave me a sense of self-assuredness and I started doing a lot of modelling work. I was invited to be a part of the Femina Miss India contest. It was a big year as Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra and I won and went on to win the international pageants as well.  If I think about the lessons – many. It’s important to take a chance, to learn to go with the flow and enjoy whatever it is you are doing because that is what really transcends everything else.

Has the meaning of beauty changed for you over the years?
Beauty has always been about what beauty does. To me, the most beautiful people are those who are empathetic, graceful, kind, reflect the generosity of spirit and occupy a room with their positivity and love. As for physical features, we are all blessed with individual features and we should celebrate them for what they are.

Next year, you complete two decades in Bollywood. Is there anything you would change about your career?
The only thing I would change is the level of preparedness with which I entered the film industry. There is a lot of pressure to deliver because there is so much money riding on what you do. I learned a lot on the job and that too is a wonderful way to learn. However, it does put you in a position that makes everything a lot more precarious. So, if I had come with at least with some kind of qualification for the craft, it would have definitely empowered me. Having said that, I believe everybody has their own journey and I’m grateful for the opportunities that I have been able to cultivate for myself and the ones this industry has given me. I think some people are slow bloomers and I am one of them (smiles).

Dia Mirza, Some of your more recent works, including Sanju, Kaafir, and Thappad have been really appreciated. What attracts you to roles these days?
If the story calls out to me and I connect to it deeply, I will move mountains to see it through. I become very deeply involved with the process and take great pride in doing so. When I worked with production houses like Excel Entertainment and Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films, my experience on those projects was dramatically different from a lot of the films I had worked on earlier. I realised that it’s good to have a locked-down script, to have a storyboard, audio board etc. I took a break from films after working relentlessly for five-six years. Then I did workshops with Barry John, dance workshops and a lot of things to address the challenges I had experienced. I was also financially secure by then and wasn’t working for money anymore but for the love of the craft. When I set up my production company, I created an environment of work that I truly wanted. Now I want to collaborate with people who I admire and respect and when the script calls out to me.

You announced your new production house One India Stories last year. What is your vision with that?
I have always believed in the power of cinema and storytelling to bring about positive social change. More than anything else, I am looking for anything that is a celebration of the craft, stories that compel your humanity, and make you think about what we are and what we are becoming and positively influence us, let it be any genre of films or any medium of storytelling.

You will be seen in the role of Nagarjuna’s wife in the Telugu film Wild Dog…
My first Telugu film! (laughs) I have been getting Telugu and Tamil film offers since I was 16 and for some reason, I never got down to being a part of them. When I met the director of Wild Dog, I connected with him and loved the script. Nagarjuna sir is someone I have loved and admired since I was a child. Telugu was the third language in school, so I did learn to read, write, and speak it. Interestingly, when I went back to set, a lot of it just came back.

Dia Mirza, You have become the voice of environmental and wildlife conservation in recent years. When did you realise that your voice can make a difference?
Discovering that I can be a strong communicator that happened during the Miss India contest. As you grow, learn and seek new opportunities, it helps you communicate more effectively and strongly. But a lot of it has to do with how you feel about things and then you can communicate how you feel about them. Maybe it was because of the way I spoke or conducted my interviews, in the early 2000s, NDTV started calling me for a lot of things, sometimes for socio-political debates or some fundraising or awareness programmes.

It just started with wanting to collaborate with people working in conservation and bringing the narrative of conservation and environmentalism in mainstream media. As you seek opportunities, cultivate relationships with people in the field doing that work, you can come back and relay that messaging and explain it because you have experienced it. In a way, I became one of the few people in India to champion these causes and because I was a part of mainstream media, I was able to direct people’s attention to them. I’m happy that my industry really supported a lot of the campaigns, especially the younger generation of actors. It goes the mile when you can create a movement and make people partners in what you are doing. A decade into it and there are more people focusing on the environment than ever before and I see that as a victory.

QUICK TAKE

Dia Mirza, A role/film very close to your heart
My debut film Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein

Simple things one can do to make a difference to the environment: Reduce wasteful consumption. Refuse single-use plastic. Support organizations that defend nature by volunteering or financial assistance.

How do you unwind?
Sit by my window and watch the birds and plants, listen to music, meditation, painting, watching films.

If you were to write an autobiography, the title would be…
She Flowed

Dia Mirza, A filmmaker you look up to
 Zoya Akhtar. I celebrate the fact that she can say something profound yet make it very mainstream.

Yoga is…
A journey of self-discovery

3 make up essentials
Mascara, a brown eye pencil and an eyebrow kit

You spirit animal
Elephant – they have a great memory and are kind and loyal.

A film/show that always cheers you up
When in doubt, turn to F.R.I.E.N.DS!

 Mantra in life
Do what you love and love what you do.

Dia Mirza for TMM

Word By: Deepali Singh

Credits-

The post The Global Conversationist Dia Mirza appeared first on TMM.