Dia Mirza, who plays Maanayata Dutt in Sanju, says exciting work opportunities start thinning out for actresses after they reach a certain age as filmmakers and some male actors “above 50” prefer to cast young heroines.
Returning to the silver screen after six years with the Rajkumar Hirani film this Friday, Dia believes the film industry is not that welcoming to actresses in their mid-30s. “For women, especially once they hit their mid-30s, opportunities, unfortunately, start shrinking because some filmmakers want to cast young actresses and most male actors, who have well passed their 50s, (also) want to work with the younger talent,” she told PTI. “One needs to break through this. It is going to take some fundamental changes in the way we approach our cinema whether it is about every woman making her choices or choosing to marry when she wants and continue to be a professional.”
Citing the example of yesteryear stars Sharmila Tagore, Waheeda Rehman and Smita Patil, who continued to get roles after marriage, Dia said today’s actors “have to push themselves, explore opportunities, and even create them for themselves”.
Dia, 36, said she waited for the right kind of roles and never accepted the offers that she felt were not good. “I waited for two-and-half years from the time I finished my Iranian film (Salaam Mumbai) to hear from a credible filmmaker asking me to be a part of his film. In December 2016, I got a call from Rajkumar Hirani for Sanju. I was leaving for a vacation at that time. Raju sir told me to come to my office as he wanted to narrate a film. I told him that I am travelling. He said I might have to cancel the trip. He said that if I like the film and role, we will have to start reading immediately as the shooting will begin in 15 days,” she recalled.
The actress said she was excited to resume work as not working on a film is “terrifying”. “I was relived and excited because I wasn’t working on a film... it was scary and terrifying. I was excited and pumped to be part of a film that would be credible. To work with Raju sir, who I have always admired, on Sanju was a very nice experience,” she said.
Though Dia had not done a film for six years, she said during the period she worked harder than she had worked in her entire career so far. “..It’s just that I was not in front of the camera. As an actor you feel most alive in front of the camera. I was doing a lot of work off-camera which was very satisfying and wonderful,” she said, recalling the various assignments she took up at the time.
“I had the opportunity to meet some extraordinary human beings and to cover extraordinary stories whether it was Ganga -The Soul of India or work for the environment. It has been an enriching ride so far. But I guess as an actor, the one place where you feel most comfortable is in front of the camera,” she said.
