Dia Mirza has carved an impressive niche for herself in the Indian film industry. The star, who has now stepped into the shoes of Sanjay Dutt’s wife Maanayata Dutt for Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘Sanju,’ has won rave reviews for her “silent yet powerful” act. In a recent interview she opened up about women-led narratives in Indian cinema and how female actors can only rise when each of them makes a conscious decision in giving nod to not just roles but choices that will help in progression.
“Every woman in cinema today is defined by the narrative for women in films. Every choice each one of us make, impacts the rest. And we may think that it only impacts us but it actually impacts all of us. I think the starting choices impact the choices that follow.”
‘Sanju’ also stars Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor and Manisha Koirala in key roles and Mirza has the highest regards for her colleagues, reports Zoom. “We respect and admire each other. I have the highest regards for Anushka, Sonam and Manisha and everyone else in the film.”
On being asked about the narrative and roles being written for women in Bollywood, Mirza remarked that while the narrative is changing, it’s still bounded by stereotypes. “The narrative is changing but there are too many stereotypes that still need to be broken and to earn a more respectable place within the industry. There are so many stupid stereotypes that impact the industry choices,” she said.
She further added that married female actors still struggle to find the right parts. “Because even now I know girls who are married struggle to find the right parts. Nobody asks a man whether he is going to have a baby and when he will get married. I have never heard a journalist ask a male actor “aapki shaadi ho gayi hai when are you planning a child” but every woman gets asked this question. These are the things we need to evolve and we need to push for changes in all spheres,” she said.
