Dia Mirza, whose web series Kaafir has been turned into a film, discusses OTT changing the game for female actors and how she says more nos than yes to projects
Dia Mirza with child actor Dishita Jain in Kaafir
Call it a quirk of fate or irony, but Dia Mirza’s Kaafir (2019) was initially written as a film. After six years of streaming as a web series, the Zee5 offering has now been trimmed to a movie. Smiling at the turn of events, Mirza says, “It was first written as a film, but it was stuck for many years. Then Zee5 came along and said they will make it as a series. So, Bhavani Iyer [writer] rewrote it. Now, [as it streams in a film format], I was curious to see what would be retained.”
Kaafir tells the story of a woman from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, who ends up as a prisoner in India. It fits seamlessly in Mirza’s filmography that, over the last few years, has seen diverse stories—from Thappad (2020) to Dhak Dhak (2023) and IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024). But finding such opportunities hasn’t been easy. The actor shares, “For me, Dhak Dhak was a clarion call. It changed my perception of how life would be in my 40s. The industry had made me believe that by my 40s, I’d be obscure.” Even as she credits OTT for opening doors for female actors, she notes that author-backed roles are hard to come by. “OTT has opened up [opportunities] for female parts. But again, stories like Dhak Dhak are rare. It takes a lot of sifting and sometimes also hurting egos [to find the right projects]. I say more nos than yes.”
The actor recently worked alongside Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor in Nadaaniyan. With the two actors having been trolled for their performances, Mirza says she empathised with them, as it reminded her of the “vicious” attack she received in her early years. “We didn’t have social media then, but I was burnt at the stake. So, I empathise with how hard a personal attack can hit. The only privilege I had was that I was a beauty title holder. Beyond that, I didn’t have any support system.”
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