Once upon a time Ms. Dia Mirza was described as dainty, dreamy and elfin. The operative word here being 'once'. But today, there's a new Ms. Mirza in who audaciously demands nothing less than sexy, sultry and a host of other femme fatal-esque synonyms to be bestowed on her. This sudden volte-face from sweet to sexy is all thanks to her upcoming Sanjay Gupta film Acid Factory, which has the actor playing the anti-heroine, 'Max' - a cold, manipulative character that Dia admits is "the darkest side of me." Even her Facebook message board mirrors her state of mind, "I am working harder than ever because Max is the most challenging character to play." But a challenge is something the 26-year-old claims to like and even crave at times. "As an actor, I feel it's important to be able to essay different roles. Each one of us has so many layers, so many facets to our personality," she purrs languidly as she takes a break from painting her lips a saucy scarlet. "It is unfortunate that most characters in Indian cinema are one-dimensional. Max is not just dark. She's fun, charming, arrogant, proud, indifferent and confident. Most of which we all are or can be… or perhaps would like to be."
Getting a vicarious thrill from playing a woman like 'Max' is one thing, but finding a hidden part of your personality in a dark character is a whole new ball game. "Even though Max is dark, I think she's still inspirational. That's the side that excites me," she says, laughing with manic exhilaration. "It's that facet of my personality that upbringing, emotional intelligence, and perseverance to be the best person that I can be has disallowed me to explore. I'm having so much fun being Max that sometimes it scares me how good it feels to be bad!"
And the metamorphosis is apparent, not just in her well-toned, lean bod, but in her demeanor as well. She looks me dead straight in the eye while adroitly fielding a volley of questions the Dia of old would vacillate over. Especially the one where I ask her if her decision to play Max was a calculated move to veer away from her girl-next-door persona. "No character I choose to play is a calculation. I do a film if it excites me. Acid Factory is a high-octane thriller with an ensemble cast, wherein the characters are dueling against each other in a deadly battle for survival."
Speaking of an ensemble cast, this one has her pitted against six guys - Fardeen Khan, Danny Denzongpa, Manoj Bajpai, Aftab Shivdasani, Dino Morea and Irrfan Khan. So, what was it being the only girl in a seemingly out and out guy movie? "It can be exasperating and exhilarating in the same breath! Exasperating because when the boys get together they can get really carried away and exhilarating because when you finally get down to doing a shot and you are alongside them, the energy is fantastic. Also the script is so cleverly written, coupled with the fact that I'm the only woman amidst all these men is highly invigorating." On a more personal note, besides her alleged link-up with actor Kunal Kapoor, these have been lonely times for her, right? "I will be in a relationship the day I am ready to share my life with someone. I don't wish to date somebody out of a need to be with someone."
It's been almost a decade for her in the movies - eight years to be precise. Have there been any regrets along the way? "I look at the last eight years as the most enriching phase of my life. I started out clueless about practically everything with regard to the workings of the film industry. All I had at the time was a few beauty titles, confidence, and enthusiasm. I made a few ridiculous mistakes in the beginning, but I must admit that those mistakes could easily be the best things to have happened to me. I learnt lot of lessons the hard way and I am still learning." And where does Dia hope to see herself five years down the line? Exploring yet another parallel dimension of her personality, perhaps? "Five years from now, it will be film direction for me. I have this incredible desire to explore the unexplored!"
Getting a vicarious thrill from playing a woman like 'Max' is one thing, but finding a hidden part of your personality in a dark character is a whole new ball game. "Even though Max is dark, I think she's still inspirational. That's the side that excites me," she says, laughing with manic exhilaration. "It's that facet of my personality that upbringing, emotional intelligence, and perseverance to be the best person that I can be has disallowed me to explore. I'm having so much fun being Max that sometimes it scares me how good it feels to be bad!"
And the metamorphosis is apparent, not just in her well-toned, lean bod, but in her demeanor as well. She looks me dead straight in the eye while adroitly fielding a volley of questions the Dia of old would vacillate over. Especially the one where I ask her if her decision to play Max was a calculated move to veer away from her girl-next-door persona. "No character I choose to play is a calculation. I do a film if it excites me. Acid Factory is a high-octane thriller with an ensemble cast, wherein the characters are dueling against each other in a deadly battle for survival."
Speaking of an ensemble cast, this one has her pitted against six guys - Fardeen Khan, Danny Denzongpa, Manoj Bajpai, Aftab Shivdasani, Dino Morea and Irrfan Khan. So, what was it being the only girl in a seemingly out and out guy movie? "It can be exasperating and exhilarating in the same breath! Exasperating because when the boys get together they can get really carried away and exhilarating because when you finally get down to doing a shot and you are alongside them, the energy is fantastic. Also the script is so cleverly written, coupled with the fact that I'm the only woman amidst all these men is highly invigorating." On a more personal note, besides her alleged link-up with actor Kunal Kapoor, these have been lonely times for her, right? "I will be in a relationship the day I am ready to share my life with someone. I don't wish to date somebody out of a need to be with someone."
It's been almost a decade for her in the movies - eight years to be precise. Have there been any regrets along the way? "I look at the last eight years as the most enriching phase of my life. I started out clueless about practically everything with regard to the workings of the film industry. All I had at the time was a few beauty titles, confidence, and enthusiasm. I made a few ridiculous mistakes in the beginning, but I must admit that those mistakes could easily be the best things to have happened to me. I learnt lot of lessons the hard way and I am still learning." And where does Dia hope to see herself five years down the line? Exploring yet another parallel dimension of her personality, perhaps? "Five years from now, it will be film direction for me. I have this incredible desire to explore the unexplored!"
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