Dia Mirza to wed Boyfriend Sahil Sangha

Dia Mirza to wed Boyfriend Sahil Sangha

Bollywood Actress Dia Mirza, who has been dating her boyfriend and business partner Sahil Sangha for quite sometime now plans to marry next year.

The 31-year-old co-owns production house Born Free Entertainment along with Sahil and Zayed Khan. "Love Breakups Zindagi" was their first venture.

"A professional partner and a life partner have an integral role to play. Sahil is my peacemaker. He brings calm and a great sense of confidence into everything I do. He is an incredible human being. He is extremely talented," Dia, who has so far worked in over 30 films, said in an interview.

The "Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein" fame actress is excited about after-marriage.

"I will marry him next year. I don't know how things will change...everyone tells me that everything changes. I guess I will live and learn. I am exited, I have lots of wonderful things to look forward to," she said and added this happiness also helps her stay in shape.

Describing herself as a disciplined person, Dia said: "When you are happy and have a balance in your life, it shows. I am very disciplined. Anything, which I take up in life, I do it consistently. I exercise, I do yoga, meditation and practice the art of living. I do functional training and work out with weights. I focus on breathing and flexibility."

What is one thing that you can't stay away from?

"The only thing which I haven't got committed to is a diet. I love to eat and Sahil is also a foodie, so we love to cook," she said.

I Don't Believe in Bra-Burning Feminism: Dia Mirza

A firm believer in Stree Shakti, Dia Mirza says that she wants to direct a biography and might consider working on stories on the lives of Amrita Sher-Gil, Leela Samson or Irom Sharmila Chanu

Her mother is a Bengali and she has been celebrating Durga Puja since a child in Hyderabad. Idol worship was not exactly what her mother believed in though Dia did have a field day going to pandals with her aunt and serving bhog. With Pujas round the corner, she says, "Like my mother, I too have a strong belief in Stree Shakti. I love the aarti and the sight of people collectively praying. This time around, I want to do dhunuchi naach."

Speaking about the power of women both within the industry and beyond, Dia says, "The best part of being in the industry is being able to celebrate my independence. I like being assertive without taking a radical path. Even in my production house, I am working with two men where we try to complement each other without outdoing anyone. While being respectful, I believe in quiet firmness. My greatest strength as a woman lies in being able to help others." So, does she believe in feminism? "No, I don't believe in bra-burning feminism. That's an extreme path and I feel such 'fights' are often misinterpreting the strength that a woman has. The power of a woman is not about undermining the opposite gender. It is about acknowleding one's strength and helping other women to identify that too," she adds.

Having already spoken about wanting to direct movies in future, does she believe in working on strong female characters? "I'd want to direct simple and meaningful stories. I am keen on directing a biography. There are many stories of real women that need to be told well. I am very inspired by the life of danseuse Leela Samson (who is now the Censor Board chief). Then, there is Amrita Sher-Gil, the eminent Indian painter who also died very young. Even Irom Sharmila Chanu, who has been fasting since 2000, is an extremely inspiring character. I might consider doing a biographical film on the lives of any of these inspiring women," she says.

However, it's too early for Dia to say when she will begin work. Now, she is busy promoting her forthcoming Hindi release. As a parting shot she says, "I'll begin only when I've my script ready."

Direction is Dia Mirza's next plan

After trying her hand at production, former beauty queen and actress Dia Mirza is now exploring other aspects of cinema and wants to don the director's hat in near future.

The former Miss Asia-Pacific walked from the ramp to the arc lights in 2001 for "Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein" and after a decade as an actress she moved into production with "Love Breakups Zindagi". She has co-produced it with Zayed Khan and Sahil Sangha and is ready to serve it to the audience next month.

"I think today I am at a whole new phase of my life and there is a lot that I have to look forward to. What I do believe in doing right now is doing everything with a lot of conviction and understanding," Dia, who plays the main lead in her debut production venture with Zayed, told IANS in an exclusive interview.

"There are certain aspects of cinema that I want to explore. I want to get into direction as the next possibility. I will always continue to act. But I want to grow. I want to do more exciting things," added the 29-year-old who believes in telling "simple and meaningful stories".

She already has two stories in mind and says: "I want them to be engaging. I want to tell the story of heart and a story of resurrection. Resurrection of human spirit. I have two ideas in mind that I am working on. They will be technically sound. I want to make them with very good actors," she said.

Would Dia act in her directorial venture? Her reply is that "it would be way too difficult to direct and act in the same film. I have managed producing and acting pretty well, but it would be unreasonable for me to act in my film. My main idea is to explore the mediums of cinema."

In the last 10 years, Dia had more misses than hits. However, she enjoys acting as she finds it therapeutic.

"Acting is a self-explanatory process that helps you to unravel yourself. It helps you literally dig into your own life and your own past. There are different characters demanding different aspects of emotional baggage that you create along your life journey," she said.

"I find acting actually very therapeutic," added the actress known for her work in "Tumsa Nahin Dekha", "Deewaanapan", "Parineeta", "Dus" and "Lage Raho Munnabhai".

She is excited about "Love Breakups Zindagi", a slice-of-life film made under her banner, Born Free Entertainment.

She "identifies" with her character in the film and says "in most ways, Naina is so me! I identify with her situations and a lot of her traits. She's maternal, independent and finds beauty in other people's happiness. But unlike me, she doesn't believe in confrontations or even bothers to listen to inner voice."

Dia has completed a decade in the industry but says she never imagined to be the one.

"It's amazing to look back, I was a girl from Hyderabad who set out herself free - but I was not sure about my aspirations. I didn't know what my passions were at that time," Dia said adding that she never "imagined I would be an actor".

"I grew to discover my love for acting. The last 10 years have been a drawing of experience from my strengths and weaknesses and from now on it starts afresh."

"It's been an interesting journey where I have had an opportunity to play a good daughter, be a support system to my family. And I think that is the greatest meaningful form of true success where you can be of help to people around," she said.

Dia Mirza Handrich on a Joy Ride

Dia Mirza turns producer with Love, Breakups, Zindagi. She talks about her new role

Dia Mirza, best known for her role in “Rehna Hain Tere Dil Main”, has turned producer. The first film of the company, Born Free Entertainment Private Limited, that she set up with good friends Zayed Khan and Cyrus Sahukar, “Love, Breakups, Zindagi” is ready for release.

“This is possibly the most beautiful phases in my life.” Talking about her chance encounter with acting, she says: “I never imagined I would be an actor. I grew to discover my love for acting. I was intrigued by the various facets of filmmaking. Offers for acting began pouring in after I had won Miss India pageant in 2000. I didn't take them up then. It was only much later that I did.”

Dia learnt from her mistakes. “When some of my movies didn't do well I took the initiative to learn more about filmmaking. By and by, I understood its finer aspects. About four years ago, I began doing work I respected. Yes, I've made mistakes. I've agreed to act in films out of a favour for a friend. But that's the past and I've left it behind and moved on. I'm at a stage where I do work because it makes me happy, I don't do things to prove a point.”

Quiz her on the kind of roles she would like to do, and Dia replies: “I don't look for ideal roles. I look for a good script, because filmmaking is about story-telling. The film must be socially relevant, even if it's a commercial film. Cinema is a human-driven process. It means you need to give respect to the art and have faith in the cast and crew. I believe that the negative in a film, captures the soul of story. The energy behind the scenes transcends into the film.”

“Love, Breakups, Zindagi” was a “joy ride” for Dia. “A large cast and the workshops helped us to make a wonderful film. It's a film about relationships for which we forged strong bonds among ourselves.” Acting is never an easy job, the glare of the arc-lights adversely affect actors at times.

“Though I enjoy acting thoroughly, the most taxing part about acting is that you are not at the most comfortable physically. You have to, at all times, no matter what happens, maintain your equilibrium.”

Her approach to a role isn't a carefully considered one. “Ultimately, what one sees in a role is your soul. I dissect a role, read the script and build a graph on the character. I like to stay with the character as much as possible.”

Dia confesses that she's an avid reader. “I love reading science fiction and of late, I like reading biographies. A lot of good movies can be made based on the lives of people such as Amrita Shergill and Rukmini Devi. They were remarkable women. We may be contemporary women in name, but we aren't half as modern and inspiring as the women of the 19{+t}{+h} Century.”

A woman of many talents, Dia says: “I've written columns. I'm also a painter; some of my work has also been used as sets in my films. Pottery is another one of my passions. I yearn to learn something new every year.”

Someday, Dia would like to publish a collection of her favourite quotes. “Mahatma Gandhi's quotes inspire me. I remember reading many quotes as a child. I used to go through ‘The Reader's Digest' and pick out lines from it that had an impact on me.”

As for being a recognised style icon, Dia contends that she has a natural style of her own. “I enjoy clothes and accessories. Travelling has exposed me to different styles. I just wear whatever suits me and I'm comfortable in.”