Divya Dutta says 90s was a ‘confusing’ time in her career, people would say she ‘looks like Manisha Koirala’: ‘Now they ask if I’m Vidya Balan’s sister’

“It was a confusing phase in my career,” Divya tells Indianexpress.com as she talks about navigating her way in the 90s Bollywood. “You really don’t know where you belong, I came from the outside. It is a trial and error, it actually doesn’t matter if you are from the inside or outside, everyone has their own journey. Somebody will have it easy, some difficult.

“When I came in, I was offered lots of multi-starrers. Back then I was called, ‘The girl who looks like Manisha Koirala’ and strangely that stopped and now I am asked, ‘Are you and Vidya Balan sisters?’ So, I don’t know if my face changed or theirs!”

Divya says she eventually found her groove, balancing featuring in a Yash Chopra film (Veer Zara) and also leading a drama like Train to Pakistan. “I had asked myself, if this (multi-starrers) is all I want to do. I love the chiffon sarees, I love dancing, the Yash Chopra grandeur was stuck in my head and I wanted to do that, but I also wanted to do something more. I did a few multi-starrers, rain songs and felt good about it, but then I thought I had to do something new. So, I did Train to Pakistan.

“When I was doing a Shyam Benegal film, I was also doing a Yash Chopra film. When I was doing a Rakesh Mehra film, I was also doing a Rituparna Ghosh film. So, for me all those worlds kind of mingled.”

 

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Divya Dutta will be next seen in the comedy Aankh Micholi. The Umesh Shukla directorial stars Paresh Rawal, Mrunal Thakur and Abhimanyu Dassani among others. In her three-decade long career, Divya says, what she can pinpoint as her major learning is to be always honest and drop the pretence.

“What I learnt over the years is, you say what you say, but the way you say it has to be nice. I remember I was sitting with a very big director, he was narrating me his story. But midway I knew I don’t want to do it, and he was very excited. So I told him that I won’t be able to do it and gave my reasons.

“He told me that he would have felt bad if anyone else had told him this but he respects the reasons I gave him. It is better to be honest than to pretend, people respect that. I have worked with all the people I have said no to,” she adds.

Also starring Sharman Joshi, Vijay Raaz and Abhishek Banerjee, Aankh Micholi will release in cinemas on November 3.