Movie Column
Top Actresses
who have become Producers – 6
By Dinesh Kamath
Dia Mirza
Produced: Love Breakups Zindagi, Bobby Jasoos and Mind the
Malhotras
Dia Mirza is an Indian model,
actress, producer and beauty queen who won the Miss Asia Pacific 2000 title.
Mirza has primarily worked in Bollywood and is known in the media for her
social work. She made her acting debut with Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein (2001).
She subsequently featured in
films including Tumsa Nahin Dekha (2004), Dus (2005), Lage Raho Munnabhai
(2006), Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007),
Krazzy 4 (2008) and Sanju (2018). She co-owns a production house, Born Free
Entertainment, with her husband Sahil Sangha.[3] Their first film, Love
Breakups Zindagi, was released on 7 October 2011.
When young, Dia was enrolled into
Nasr School, a prestigious girls day school located in Khairtabad. She credits
Nasr School for giving her the confidence to pursue acting. She says it was the
Nasr Dramatic Society, an in-school club which boosted her morale.
Mirza worked while in college as
a marketing executive for a media firm, Neeraj's Multi-media Studio. At the
same time she modelled for print and TV commercials for brands such as Lipton,
Wall's ice cream, Emami and many more. She won Miss Asia Pacific in 2000.
Dia debuted through Rehnaa Hai
Terre Dil Mein which did not do well at the box office, though it has developed
a cult following among Indian youth. She then appeared in movies such as Dum,
Deewanapan, Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge, Tumsa Nahin Dekha – A Love Story,
Parineeta, Dus, Lage Raho Munnabhai and Salam Mumbai. In 2018, she appeared as
Sanjay Dutt's wife Manyata Dutt in the biopic Sanju which ranks among the
highest grossing Indian films.
She has garnered much praise for
her social work[citat. She got an IIFA 2012 Green Award for her contribution
towards a green environment. She has done awareness campaigns on prevention of
female foeticide, HIV awareness, the Cancer Patients Aid Association, PETA,
ADAPT and CRY. She publicly supported the Naramada Bachao Andolan. She has
written articles for Hindustan Times and other publications.
Dia Mirza was the second
runner-up at Femina Miss India 2000 and was subsequently sent to Miss Asia
Pacific 2000, where she won. She also won Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Avon and
Miss Close-Up Smile in Miss India. When she won the Miss Asia Pacific title on
3 December 2000 in Manila, the Philippines, she became the first Indian since
Tara Anne Fonseca to win this title in 27 years. She completed the hat-trick of
India winning international pageants in the year 2000; Lara Dutta won the Miss
Universe title and Priyanka Chopra won the Miss World title in the same year.
Mirza has been involved with
Cancer Patients Aid Association and Spastics Society of India, and has worked
extensively with the government of Andhra Pradesh to spread HIV awareness,
prevention of female foeticide, PETA, CRY and most recently the NDTV Greenathon
– an effort to find tangible solutions against pollution and the book,
"Deke Dheko" by Radio Mirchi (a campaign initiated to collect books
for underprivileged children). Her other hobbies include writing, reading,
painting, pottery, horse riding and theatre. She has written several articles
for the Hindustan Times and other publications as a guest writer. She is on the
board of the Coca-Cola foundation that works towards development in rural
India. She is associated with campaigns such as Sanctuary Asia's Leave Me Alone
and Female Foeticide.
The following are the awards she
has won so far:
Zee Cine Awards for Best Debut:
Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein
Bollywood movie award for Best
Debut Newcomer: Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein
Nominated, Screen Awards for Most
Promising Female Newcomer: Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein
Nominated, Screen Awards for Most
Promising Female Newcomer: Deewaanapan
Nominated, Popular Award for the
Best Debut (Female): Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein
2005
Great women achiever award for
Beauty
2011
Green Globe Honor for
Extraordinary Work by a Public Figure
Women's Achievement Award
2012
The Jaipur Internatio kisser of
the world for Best Actress award: Paanch Adhyay
IIFA Green Award for Contribution
Towards a Greener Environment
2013
The Sixth Geospa Asiaspa India
Awards for Eco Crusader of the Year
2016
Ms Eternal Beauty At The Femina
Miss India
The Woman Of Substance At Rotary
Awards
2017
Green Crusader of the Year Award
at IAA - India Chapter Olive Crown Awards
The 'Valerian Of Environmental
Issues by the makers of the film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
A veteran producer on this list,
Dia Mirza’s Born Free Entertainment released its first feature film, Love
Breakups Zindagi, in 2011, followed by Bobby Jasoos in 2014, and has so far
covered everything from fiction content to advertising films. An active
producer for about a decade now, Mirza is now excited about her contemporaries
turning to production. She’s currently looking forward to her upcoming web
series, based on the Israeli comedy La Famiglia. Titled Mind The Malhotras, her
latest is a sitcom that follows the daily lives of urban middle class parents
(played by Cyrus Sahukar and Mini Mathur) and their hilarious therapy sessions.
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