Dia Mirza recalls her early days, draws parallel with Priyanka, Lara’s struggles
Dia Mirza shares her struggles in her early years in Bollywood, revealing she had no money unlike Prianka Chopra who had family support
Mumbai: Dia Mirza recently spoke about her early years in Bollywood, giving a glimpse into her life with contemporaries Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta. The three women had made their entry into the industry after winning international beauty pageants in the same year, but their careers took divergent paths once they entered the Hindi film industry.
Dia talked about the struggles that she and Lara went through; they lived off instant noodles in a small apartment. “We (Lara and I) ate Wai Wai noodles; we didn’t have any money,” said Dia with a giggle and a dreamy look in her eyes. They could often laugh at how their lives back home were laughable in contrast with their lives in public. “We would both sit in high-end gowns and pose with high-end champagne bottles at parties and return home to instant noodles because that’s all we could afford,” Dia smiled.
Priyanka, however, enjoyed a stronger support system, Dia believes. “Priyanka still had some support from her parents, but Lara and I didn’t,” Dia said.Despite this, Priyanka too faced hardships. “Priyanka had a lot of battles to fight, which became tougher with time,” Dia recalled. Priyanka’s talent and confidence earned respect from her contemporaries, though. “She started singing well right from the beginning,” Dia said. “I used to sit and think about myself – ‘If I were half as good an actress as she is, where else I would be.'” Dia added that Priyanka’s family had a big influence on her career, particularly her mother and brother.
Dia also spoke about the comparisons that had been drawn between the three women. Priyanka and Lara made their debut in Andaz when Dia had already endured three flops. “Naturally, there was much comparison,” Dia said. However, she asserted that their chemistry with each other was never disturbed by such comparisons. The three women supported and motivated each other as they experienced the highs and lows of the movie industry.
