Dia Mirza grabbed national headlines when she was crowned Miss Asia Pacific International when she was 18-years-old. The next year, she made her Bollywood debut with Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein which has now became a cult-classic. However, not everything went smooth for Dia. The actress had to face certain hardships in the industry.
In a recent interview, Dia has revealed that she had lost projects due to her skin colour. The way she looked proved to be a disadvantage for her. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Dia said, "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 a times. I have lost a job and not been cast in a part because I look too good. It is a strange disadvantage."
"I may be sounding very ungrateful. But because of the colour 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 added.
Talking about how winning the international pageant changed her life, the Sanju actress said, "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."
Last week, the actress had celebrated 20 years of her Miss Asia Pacific International win. Talking about it in an recent interview, she said, "I have said this before that I was not raised to be competitive. And perhaps that is why I never wondered what would happen if I did not win. As this young kid from Hyderabad, I went to both the Miss India pageant and to Miss Asia Pacific International with the thought that I would value the opportunity and make the most of it. Whenever I felt the stirrings of the desire to win, I in fact felt uncomfortable. But looking back, winning felt like transitioning from my old life to a new one. I was still the same but everything else had changed. And since then my attitude towards every new opportunity has been the same. I approach it with gratitude and humility and I learn, imbibe and make the most of it."
She added, "When I look back, I just feel, it was all meant to happen. Me being spotted by a modelling agent at 16, the advertising campaigns, fashion shows, editorial shoots that followed. And then the Miss India pageant and the international crown, of course. It all seemed daunting then but I guess, at some level, I was ready. Just as I always am, when another new and exciting challenge beckons me."
Also Read: Dia Mirza: I Faced A Stalker When I Was Younger
A few days back, the actress had also talked about the ongoing nepotism debate sparked due to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. She stated, "I have lost films to other actors and it's hurtful but you get up, you dust it off and you move forward. I feel a personal agenda in a lot of things that are being said. I see a lot of personal bone to pick with people. I find a lot of the attacks deeply personal and hurtful. That's why I feel it's unhealthy."
Mirza made her Bollywood debut in 2001 with the rom-com, Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein and went on to do films like Deewanapan, Tehzeeb, Parineeta, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Dus, Cash, Sanju, and Thappad.
Also Read: Dia Mirza Is Learning Kalaripayattu As Prep For Nagarjuna-Starrer Wild Dog
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