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Dia Mirza discusses the "heartache when stories don't find audiences, when they don't find producers, and just waiting endlessly for someone to give her work" in an open interview.
Filmmakers are familiar with Dia Mirza, but do they know her? Her work has been watched by casting directors for years, but do they actually see her? The actor, who has worked in the Hindi film industry for more than two decades, is in a position where she is ready to start over. The appetite in Dia Mirza currently is as a lot to push ahead for what it's worth to start once more.
Dia tells indianexpress.com, "When we become actors, we sign a bond of heartache," as she settles down to talk about her public career and private goals. Waiting is one of the most important facts about an actor's life. As far as some might be concerned, sitting tight is for a really long time and to an extreme. For Dia, it is a reality she experienced made harmony with.
She asserts that the heartache of an interminable wait, missed opportunities, and failures is a part of the big acting journey that nearly every actor must endure, that there are no shortcuts to success, and that there are sometimes no happy endings either.
“It hurts when your stories don't find audiences, hurts when your stories don't find producers, hurts when you just keep waiting for work to come your way interminably. It's really hard. Every time you say, "Okay, this movie! Because everyone has liked it and appreciated my part, which will bring in more work, you find yourself chipping away at that block of stone once more, begging and waiting. She continues, "I have accepted the interminable wait."
In 2001, a year after she won the title of Miss Asia Pacific International, Dia made her debut on the scene with the charming, but now rightfully criticized, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein. Dia has had a turbulent life over the past two decades. She went from being an actor who starred in romantic comedies, big-budget films with multiple stars, and put her money into production to finally becoming an artist who was comfortable embracing her voice.
“As actors, we wait a lot because we are so desperate for good roles and opportunities. Keep your eyes peeled for compelling tales. You want to be employed as much as possible because I have always thought of myself as a working artist. But after a certain point in your life and career, you want to be more than just an employed artist; you want to use your craft to help change the world.
However, the path to enlightenment was not an easy one. Between the release of her debut production Bobby Jasoos in 2014 and her return to the industry in 2018 with Rajkumar Hirani's smash hit Sanju, Dia had only one release: the Iranian-Indian film Salaam Mumbai. Dia's success since Sanju, including her role in the critically acclaimed television series Kaafir, her performance in Anubhav Sinha's Thappad, and her appearance in the upcoming Bheed, can be traced back to the phone call she made to Hirani.
"Sanju was oxygen to me. I absolutely required it. I remember calling a friend because Raju is a friend for the first time in my career and asking, "Please cast me in your movie." I have to work and want to be in a movie, but I don't get any work. After putting me through a test, they liked what they saw, and I got the job. Because I'm shy and feel extremely awkward making those calls, I had never done it before. Maybe that's one of the reasons I haven't been able to get any other jobs. Maybe you have to call the filmmaker and say, "I want to work with you."
It is not easy to succeed in the industry, which welcomes a large number of newcomers almost every alternate Friday. Dia is aware that "there will always be new talent" competing for a role she also adores. To get the part she wants in the film she wants, she needs to show off her skills to the fullest. But even if she does, it might not be enough because film casting is not always based on merit.
“In the recent past, there have been a lot of jobs and films that I really wanted to be a part of that almost happened but didn't because someone else got the part. That person makes me happy, but I'm very sad for myself! Which, I suppose, is normal. But I don't sit down and think about it.... That is a gloomy route. It very well may be something as fundamental as the male lead entertainer in the film saying, 'Hello how about you cast this one?' It's not easy, but it happens frequently. These things cannot be taken personally in any way.
The best way for Dia to deal with the situation is to keep an eye out for stories that make her feel "empathetic" and to look for authors who will put a fresh bet on her work. Dia asserts that she must reintroduce herself to those who matter in order to perform more effective work.
“Last me re-introduce myself again, I told my agents recently that I want to meet all the casting directors again. They all say, 'However you have been laboring for a very long time, you don't have to present yourself.' However, my thing is, perhaps I do, in light of the fact that they need to realize I'm ravenous, that I need to work.
I began doing this with additional filmmakers following Sanju. I contact them and request that they consider me for the film the following time they produce something. I'm glad that most casting today is done by casting directors, who sort of bring the cast together. She adds, "I am happy to chase casting directors and instruct them to assist me in finding a space."