About 20-years-ago, Dia Mirza made India proud by winning the title of Miss Asia Pacific International. One might think getting into the film industry after winning a beauty pageant must be a cakewalk for her, but she also had to face her share of failures and rejections.
In a recent interview, the ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ actor divulged that the way she looks has been a disadvantage for her in her profession.
“I think any stereotype and pre-conceived notions are not good. The way I look has been a disadvantage for me in my acting profession many times. I have lost a job and not been cast in a part because I look too good. It is a strange disadvantage,” Hindustan Times quoted her as saying.
Dia was just 18-years-old when she won the title. And since her debut in 2001, she has entertained us a lot. However, she adds that because of the color of her skin, she is at a disadvantage.
“I may be sounding very ungrateful. But because of the color of my skin, I am at a disadvantage. As much as I know and am acutely aware of the fact that darker complexioned women have it hard as well. But there is a certain type of cinema I love.”
“I love the thinking cinema but the stereotypes attached to the thinking cinema and women who play those parts are so limiting. But finally, things are looking up so I am not complaining,” she shares.
The 38-year-old environmental activist further added, “I totally recognize the fact that winning this international pageant was a big deal. It gave me a voice, it gave me a platform, it empowered me financially, it gave me opportunities to work. I am still discovering. There is so much more I know about myself than when I was 18 and there is also just so much that is still to be discovered.”
She further explained her struggles of participating in a beauty pageant and being crowned with the title.
“As somebody who was raised in a non-competitive environment, my education system did not encourage competition, it was dramatically opposite for me to be a part of a contest. I remember while I was at the contest talking to my mother about it that I feel disadvantaged by the fact that I don’t know the competition. And she said it is you are not competing with anybody and your efforts should be to just be yourself. And enjoy yourself and learn and if any of what you stand for has merit, you will succeed.”
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When quizzed if she would have been offered films if she didn’t win the pageant, she reveals, “I have no idea, I have always loved films. I used to participate in dramatics and elocutions right through school. My naani was an ardent film lover. I grew up with my mother telling me these stories and of course she also made me watch these cult classics. I do believe that given how creative and artistic I have always been and how much I have loved the performing arts, I do believe I would have found my way in this line of work,” she explains.
As someone who has grown up watching Dia and her adorable smile on the screen, I wish we could see more of her. What about you?