Dia Mirza, who was in Delhi for Jashn-e-Rekhta recently, said that she is getting the best roles of her career at the age of 40. “Chaalis saal ki umar mein mujhe aise roles (like the one in Thappad) mil rahe hain. I’m really grateful. Agar aap 23 saal ki Dia se kehte ki aap ka sabse achha kaam aap ko 40 ki umar mein milega toh main bilkul believe nahi karti. Yeh haqeeqat hai, ageism is prevalent not only in the Hindi film industry but in our society, too. Aap ki umar thodi badh jati hai toh log kya kehne lag jate hain? Aunty! Aunty me kya burai hai? That’s something we all are working to change and hopefully, we will change that,” she added.

At the Urdu poetry festival, the actress also discussed the impact that poetry has had in her life. She shared, “I always keep some poems with me. Sometimes when I’m doing a role, I refer to a poem to find a connect. For instance, in Kaafir, to get the essence of that role I referred to Kaifi Azmi’s poem Aurat.”

She added that her husband, Vaibhav Rekhi, writes a nazm every time she returns from an out-of-town visit. “He has a really good understanding of poetry. I have collected all those cards. I wonder when he will stop, but you never know...this may go on forever.”

For her, beauty lies in personal growth. “My mother told me that beauty is what beauty does. There is nothing more beautiful than personal growth. Tabu ko dekh lijiye. Iss saal ki do sabse badi hit filmon mein woh hain,” she said.

Responding to a question about why she named her son Azaad, Dia said, “Two years ago, I tattooed ‘azad’ on my hand. I don’t have any other tattoo. I got this tattoo because I discovered something, and as a woman it is so important to discover this – the ability to befriend fear. Azadi for me, is freedom from fear... Kyunki har bachha bekhauf paida hota hai. Aur meri ummeed hai ki woh zindagi bhar bekhauf rahe.”

Three weeks ago, Dia Mirza and husband Vaibhav Rekhi shared their happiness with the world as they announced that they became proud parents to son Avyaan Azaad Rekhi. She revealed that the bundle of joy had arrived early on May 14, and was since cared for by “tireless nurses and doctors in the neonatal ICU.” As she revels in the new chapter of her life with Avyaan, the new mother is also taking the opportunity to create awareness about breastfeeding.

 

Admitting that breastfeeding-related issues have become more meaningful to her now, Mirza is keen to highlight the challenges mothers face in nourishing their babies. “I have become more acutely aware of the lack of safe spaces for new mothers, especially if they are socially and economically marginalized. Why have we never [highlighted] how hard it is for underserved mothers to feed their babies on construction sites, farms and roadside stalls without any privacy?”

With World Breastfeeding Week celebrated between August 1 and 7, the actor hopes that the Indian society becomes sensitive to the needs of new moms. The irony of the circumstances is not lost on her — on the one hand, motherhood is glorified, and on the other hand, our society is judgmental of a woman feeding her infant in public. “In Belgium, breastfeeding in public is protected by law, but in India, we need to bring about a systematic shift in societal attitude. Feeding a child should be considered a natural act, but it triggers so much shame and judgment when done in public.”

The situation in rural India is more worrisome, where women don’t have the necessary access to information about reproductive and maternal health. “World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months as infants who are not breastfed are six to 10 times more likely to die in the [early months]. Rural mothers may not have this critical piece of information. It should worry us that India continues to have one of the highest rates of malnutrition and infant mortality.”

Dia Mirza and her husband Vaibhav Rekhi announced the arrival of their baby boy on social media yesterday. Their son, Avyaan Azaad Rekhi, was born prematurely on May 14 and is currently being cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit (ICU), they said.

Dia shared a moving post about the birth of their son, along with a picture that has his hand wrapped around her finger. “Our heartbeat, our son Avyaan Azaad Rekhi was born on May 14th. Having arrived early, our little miracle has since then been cared for by tireless nurses and doctors in the Neonatal ICU. A sudden appendectomy during my pregnancy and a subsequent and very severe bacterial infection could have led to sepsis and proven to be life threatening (sic),” the actress wrote.

Talking about the birth of the baby, Dia said, “Thankfully, the timely care and intervention by our doctor ensured the safe birth of our baby via an emergency C-section. As we watch this tiny being, this Zen master in awe and wonder, we learn from him, in all humility, the true meaning of trusting the universe and of parenthood. And to not be afraid, and so we humbly take the lead from his resilience and courage.”

The baby will soon be taken home. “We do not have enough words to thank all those who continue to help us live this story of hope and faith and create a safe, healing, nurturing space for Avyaan and I. He will be home soon and his elder sister Samaira and grand parents are waiting to hold him in their arms (sic),” Dia said.

The actress further added, “To our well-wishers and fans, I just want to say — your concern has always meant a lot to me and if it was possible to share this news before, we would have... (sic).”

Dia, who tied the knot with Vaibhav on February 15, had announced her pregnancy on social media on April 1.