Former Miss India winner, actor, producer Dia Mirza was brimming with newfound enthusiasm and optimism, when invited to speak at a webinar as part of a virtual series hosted by Annapurna College of Film and Media earlier this week. In the session, she spoke at length about how she got her first break and moulded her career ever since. The actress spoke of her willingness to be a student of the institute and take time to learn the craft again, given the chance. Besides casting a light on the rapport an actor needs to maintain with the technicians in a film, she talked of the causes she stood up for and the filmmakers who had significantly influenced her choices.
“It wasn’t easy at all, to begin with. I was brought in place of a heroine who had quit the film in the last minute, I didn’t know the story at all and my co-star was Arjun Rampal. Getting dialogue sheets minutes before a shot was called and giving the best at that moment were nothing short of a challenge being a newcomer. I feel very grateful for the opportunities I get and am extremely happy that I do films and not any menial job for a living. Fortune works best in this industry when preparedness is met with opportunity and I’m thankful for the mentors who’ve shaped my journey,” the actress who was last seen in Thappad had said.
She completely resonated with the sentiment of yesteryear actresses touching the feet of the cinematographer before they began the shoot of a film. “Ultimately, your personality, performance is brought out through the camera,” Dia shared. The life that she had lead off the camera reportedly went onto have a larger say in her film choices in the later part of her career, given the number of experiences she was enriched with, while working for her causes. Dia Mirza reminisced her memories of growing up in Hyderabad and how her proficiency in Dakhni went a long way in helping Vidya Balan adapt with the slang for her production Jagga Jaasoos.
Dia was particularly in praise of the teams that had worked on her web series Kaafir and Thappad. The latter film was reportedly memorable for her; given it had marked Anubhav Sinha’s monumental growth as a storyteller and how he had found a voice after many years of being in the industry. She will be seen next in the Nagarjuna starrer Wild Dog whose shoot was abruptly stalled owing to the pandemic.
