Revision as of 16:54, 14 June 2014

I took my surname Mirza from my step-father: Dia Mirza

Priya Gupta,TNN | Jun 14, 2014

The Times of India

Dia Mirzais sensitive, strong and pure, who may have become Miss Asia Pacific in 2000 when she was just 18, but has learnt from the many knocks she has got from life.

Family

Dia Mirza

She was born (in 1982) and brought up in Hyderabad. While her father was German, her mother is Bengali. Her father was a German architect and graphic designer, who travelled all over the world, teaching teachers on how to teach. On one such visit to the Max Mueller Bhavan in Delhi, he met Dia's mother. Interestingly, her mother had taken German as a foreign language to study, so she could speak and read and write the language fluently. They had a whirlwind romance and they got married and she was born as a much-desired child. When she was just four-and-a-half, her parents separated and both her parents remarried. But her first father passed away when she was just nine. she hates calling her second father her step-father as he is not her biological father, but he was wonderful, was a fantastic parent who did not try and take her father's place and he too passed away in 2003. He was a Muslim from Hyderabad and she took her surname Mirza from him.

She is the only child as both her parents did not have another child. But she was still not pampered as her mother, knowing that she was the only child, did not want her to be overindulged She was just over four years old when her parents were undergoing their separation and she would stay weekdays with her mom and weekends with her dad.

Miss India

She had just finished 12th standard exams when she got a call from a lady who was a family friend from the Times of India office in Hyderabad, who had seen her doing some fashion shows. And she told her about the auditions and was wondering if she 'd like to come for it. she had never thought of it before. For her, vanity and beauty was not of much significance. But one of her close friends wanted to participate, so she tagged along with her. Even though she was 5'6", they found her short. But to her surprise, she got a call later saying that she was selected and that she would need to go to Mumbai. [Nowadays the organisers] pay for everything, but, at that time, contestants had to take care of their own boarding and lodging and travel. she had some money that she had saved, working for a multimedia company at the age of 16. She started working as she wanted to buy a fancy pair of shoes and her mom had refused, saying that her feet were still growing and that she could buy them later when she made her own money. she was angry and told her, 'You wait and see, I will own my car at 18 and my house at 21.' And, in that fit of anger, she took up that job parallely while studying. she used that money to come to Bombay. Her mum was very against it, as she wanted her to go to law school in Bangalore, but her step-father convinced her.

There was an insane situation she had been in. There was this boy who was obsessed about her and she was going through hell about it and so her father told her mother that the best thing in such a situation was to allow her to go from Hyderabad, as he felt it would give her perspective. They did not have an affair but he was a really messed up influence. she thought she was in love and wanted to marry him even though he was much older.

Coming to Mumbai worked. she got over him, participated in Miss India and then became Miss Asia Pacific. Participating in Miss India was a paradigm shift and she had a blast. Going for the international pageant was the first time she had gone out of India. Her passport was first made for the Miss India pageant.

Filmography

This picture of Dia Mirza has been taken from Wn.com

As an actress=

2001 Deewaanapan

2001 Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein

2002 Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge

2003 Dum

2003 Pran Jaaye Par Shaan Na Jaaye

2003 Tehzeeb

2004 Kyun! Ho Gaya Na...

2004 Stop!

2004 Tumsa Nahin Dekha

2005 Blackmail

2005 Dus

2005 Koi Mere Dil Mein Hai

2005 My Brother... Nikhil

2005 Naam Gum Jaayega

2005 Parineeta

2006 Alag: He Is Different.... He Is Alone...

2006 Fight Club: Members Only

2006 Lage Raho Munna Bhai

2006 Phir Hera Pheri

2006 Prateeksha

2007 Cash

2007 Dus Kahaniyaan

2007 Heyy Babyy

2007 Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.

2007 Shootout at Lokhandwala

2008 Anywhere Anytime

2008 Krazzy 4

2009 Acid Factory

2009 Fruit & Nut

2009 Jai Veeru: Friends Forever

2009 Kisaan

2009 Kurbaan

2010 Hum Tum Aur Ghost

2011 Love Breakups Zindagi

2012 Paanch Adhyay

2012 Zindagi Tere Naam

As a producer

2011 Love Breakups Zindagi

2014 Bobby Jasoos