Model, actor and a humanitarian, Dia Mirza announced her separation with husband Sahil Sangha in August last year. The couple who had been together for 11 years took to social media and posted that they have mutually decided to part ways after five years of their marriage.
Filmmaker and producer, Sahil also shared the news on his social media. And ever since, the couple hasn’t really spoken about their break up. But, recently in an interview, Dia said how people’s attitude towards her, reported HT.
“It amuses me because you are moving in circles where people are educated and progressive but they still feel a sense of sadness.”
“They respond from a sense of empathy as well. So the gaze is not necessarily critical, it’s empathetic and sometimes even pitiful. Sometimes, it’s a gaze of awe and admiration,” she said.
However, Dia has come out as a strong woman who is looked upon by women in the same situation as her. “I get so many messages from women who are going through similar circumstances, saying, ‘How are you so strong? How do you smile? How do you get up and go to work?’ I don’t have an answer for them. I just tell them that I find my way and I hope you will find yours because I can’t tell you the right way,” she said.
The ‘Sanju’ actor further added, “What gives you strength at any circumstance is your understanding of yourself. Else, you will never be able to perceive things that are happening around you. Then, you are being dishonest not only to other people but yourself.”
Although she isn’t the first one to separate from her husband, she says there are still some societal pressures that come with the tag of being divorced, reported NDTV.
“Some people feel divorce is an excuse to not compromise. Yes, in life, you have to adapt and compromise. But the question is, when does it stop? How much is too much, how less is too little? That’s a personal choice,” she states.
On being asked how people around her reacted to her decision, the ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ actor said, “People who love you as a couple respond to it differently. People outside have a different reaction, your intimate friends who know you individually will respond to it a certain way. Your parents will respond to it differently.”
Sharing a leaf from the book of her life, the former Miss Asia Pacific she said, “What you can hope and pray is that eventually everyone will understand and respect the space and decision that two people have chosen for them with dignity, respect and love for each other,” she signed off.
Here’s her full interview:
Dia made her Bollywood debut in 2001 with the cult favourite film ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ and has now moved to talk about topics of social importance. An ‘Environment Goodwill Ambassador’ and an advocator for several social causes, Dia is the woman I look up to in the darkest of times. More power to you, ma’am. Keep making the world a better place with your infectious energy and smile.