Dia Mirza will soon be seen alongside RajKummar Rao, Pankaj Kapur and Bhumi Pednekar in Bheed. Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the film will hit screens on March 24. The Free Press Journal caught up with Dia for an exclusive chat. Excerpts:
Bheed is your fourth association with director Anubhav Sinha, which is a talking point these days. Any concerns on the risk factors?
To stir a conversation is the motive of the film. We wanted people to think, reflect, feel and connect. Subjects on political-socio events are few and far in our country. One needs conviction, audacity and courage to tell a story like this and Anubhav does have all of this. As a human being, it is my privilege to be a part of Bheed.
You started off with the most conventional route but your choices have become more unconventional over the years. How did that happen to you?
I began when I was really young in films. I don’t think I knew myself. It was a journey of discovery of what I liked and what I don’t, what environments I felt respected or disrespected in. I learned a lot on the job. My personal life trajectory took me through different phases. In my mid 20s, I was very clear what kind of stories I wanted to tell or to be a part of.
Go on…
There were so many films I was a part of which were touted to be super hits but didn’t work at the box office. I had a lot of baggage of expectations. With the kind of films I did and the filmmakers I worked with and the way they were marketed, I felt less like an artiste and more of a commodity; which is even true today in many cases. It is fair though but a lot of people don’t thrive in this environment.
How did you deal when you had to cope up with the odds?
I wasn’t happy with the kind of work I was getting. I stepped back and took a sabbatical. I travelled, did some wonderful workshops, learned a lot and produced a film at 27. That changed a lot of things for me since I was able to put a film together irrespective of the response at the box office. It really made me think about what I wanted to do in my life ahead. Films like Sanju (2018), Thappad (2020), and the web series Kaafir (2019) lent a new life to me.
Was it difficult for you to come out of it?
I realised that I needed to breathe and live around the sabbatical I took. In films, people do live an insulated life but I wanted to connect to real life. When I was in my early 20s, I didn’t get to do that so it was hard for me. I started working in the spheres that deeply interested me. It changed me. It helped me in connecting me with reality.
How do you see the status of female artistes in the industry today?
Female artistes still have to deal and contend with a lot of stereotypical conditions and approaches. It is given by a structure that really doesn’t help us. If my manager calls and pitches me a mother’s role, I have a standard reply, what’s the story? A lot of people pulled me down when I became a producer, got married and became a mother. As women, we need to work harder to sustain. We have to constantly adapt and accommodate. There are so many people who also suggested that I correct my face.
