Years ago, I met Dia Mirza for a routine interview and the phrase that sprang instantly in my mind was, “silk and steel.” The steel is invisible though and only manifests in the resilience she has shown in keeping her soul and her dignity intact in an unforgiving business.
What you do get to see is a genuinely radiant, naturally beautiful girl with a smile that is not practiced and vacant but fills up the space that celebrities usually cultivate to keep their distance from people they don’t know.
You know instantly and for sure that she functions from a place of trust whether she is meeting a journalist or interacting with fans on Twitter. Her rooted warmth is one of the reasons why despite so many years in the industry, no negativity has shadowed her. That itself is an achievement in an industry filled with brash games of one-upmanship and loud self-promotion.
One of the few self-made actors with no family connections in the industry, Dia Mirza has now done what few of her peers have attempted. She has started a production house, Born Free Entertainment Pvt Ltd along with actor Zayed Khan and director Sahil Sangha. In a few hours from now, she will unveil the first glimpse of their dream production, Love Breakups, Zindagi (LBZ) at the IIFA (International India Film Academy Awards), at Toronto in Ontario, Canada.
Dia believes that the film about modern relationships and about love found, lost and reclaimed has exceeded the creative vision that inspired it.
Says she, “We set out to make an honest film about human emotions and we managed to create happy synergies even behind the scenes.” The film shot on real locations and was wrapped in what the unit describes as a “glitch free, smooth, magical schedule of just 46 days.”
The extent of goodwill she has earned in the industry is obvious from the fact that many star directors and actors have appeared in a promotional video of the film. LBZ’s crew will also release 20 episodes leading up to the release of the film to forge a strong emotional connect with the audience.
Watch this space on Unboxed Writers for more news on the film.
Reema Moudgil is the author of Perfect Eight (http://www.flipkart.com/b/books/perfect-eight-reema-moudgil-book-9380032870?affid=unboxedwri )