While she started her film journey as a background dancer in the Tamil film En Swasa Kaatre (1999), Dia Mirza hasn’t acted in any Tamil film so far. “I have no idea why I haven’t done a Tamil film yet; I would love to work here,” states the Bollywood actress, who was recently in Chennai. She speaks to us about her wish to be part of Tamil films, making her debut in Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (RHTDM) alongside Madhavan, the backlash against her recent film, Nadaaniyan, and more…

Addressing the backlash directed at Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor for Nadaaniyan, Dia, who was also a part of the film, states, “I have never been in favour of personal attacks and find them extremely disrespectful. Everyone is free to have an opinion, but it shouldn’t be expressed at the cost of somebody’s mental health. I’ve been concerned, especially for the younger actors, about the harshness of what’s being said. I feel there’s a culture of ‘eat the privilege’, which is harsh, because people have their own stuff to deal with.”

Sharing about her recent interaction with director Mani Ratnam, Dia says, “Mani Ratnam sir is one of my all-time favourite directors. We were recently on a flight together, and I was awestruck by him. I went up to him and said, ‘I don’t want to lose this opportunity to tell you how much I admire you.’ It was interesting to see how awkward he is with praise. His cinema impacted my childhood and influenced my perception of storytelling.”

The actress was part of IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack that featured actor Arvind Swami. Speaking about him, she says, “I didn’t get to share a scene with Arvind (Swami) sir, but I have a deep regard and respect for him. He is a phenomenal artiste. Another artiste I admire from here is Siddharth, who is phenomenal. I watched Chithha, a film he produced and acted in, and what a powerful film it was! The entire cast was so compelling.”

Dia is also all praise for actor Nagarjuna, who acted opposite her in her Telugu debut, Wild Dog. “COVID-19 had just started when we did the film, and we were all terrified. But Nag sir made the experience very easy, which says a lot about him. It can be extremely intimidating when you are working with a superstar, but he was the most accessible co-actor. He was so warm and kind. I also spent a lot of time with Amala ma’am. I’ve always admired her and love the work that she’s done for animal care,” she shares.

Speaking about how her idea of success has changed over the years, Dia says, “When I started out, my idea of success was connected more to box office and material gains. Over the years, I’ve realized that success is about showing up every moment with preparedness and an understanding of the medium that you are a part of. It’s about being able to offer your best self to the opportunity.”

Talking to us about her first film, a remake of the Tamil film Minnale, which starred Madhavan and was directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, Dia shares, “Working with them was wonderful. I would attribute a big part of the love the film continues to receive to Harris Jayaraj’s music. Zara Zara (Vaseegara in Tamil) evokes an indescribable feeling. I’m still in touch with Maddy, but not with Gautham sir. As a teenager, I used to watch Maddy’s TV shows and had the biggest crush on him.”