Dia Mirza says she didn’t feel safe on set, was wary of ‘unexpected knocks’ on her door: ‘I was sexualised and commodified’

Dia competed with Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta in the 2000 Miss World pageant. While Priyanka won that contest, Lara went on to be crowned as the Miss Universe. Priyanka and Lara also made their Bollywood debuts two years after Dia with Raj Kanwar’s 2003 romantic drama Andaaz. Dia also worked with former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen in one of her early films, Pankaj Parashar’s Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge (2002), which starred Salman Khan in the lead role. Dia recalled that since Salman was a huge star, he’d often be rushed out of locations because huge crowds would emerge to mob him. In the same interview with Zoom, Dia said she’s grateful that Salman would always look out for her, and make sure she’s the first one to be escorted into the car.

(Also Read — Dia Mirza recalls comparisons with Aishwarya Rai, reveals she wore light-coloured lenses to ‘conform’ to beauty standards: ‘It was ridiculous’)

Dia clarified that safety wasn’t the only issue female actors faced on set. She chose to take a step back, did acting workshops for years, and returned to do more meaningful roles later. “(I thought) I’m just being commodified and sexualised. I’m not sure whether this is the path that gives me joy. I want to be part of storytelling that has substance. Main dil mein Shabana Azmi aur Smita Patil hoon (I’m Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil at heart), you understand? I want to be a part of cinema. But it took pausing, stepping back, literally saying no to every leading part that came my way, or sitting home desperately lost being completely okay with the phone not ringing at all. Because once you start saying no, the calls just dry up, they don’t come,” added Dia.