One look in Dia Mirza's eyes and I can tell she looks like a swan in a pond full of ducks. She'd look stylish even if she wears a simple white vest on her denims. She stands at a good 5 feet 6 inches if I'm not mistaken but you'd never think of her as delicate and men (like me) would be a little intimidated by her - by her knowledge of cinema in India and worldwide. Taking her inspiration from real life individuals from different walks of life, Mirza is hell bent on being a part of a biopic that celebrates human spirit. It comes to me as no surprise that she loves Milk, The Iron Lady and Paan Singh Tomar. This intoxicating combination of Bs is what I like – Beauty, Brains, Biopics, Business and Bollywood. But I'm still in love with the alphabet D – D for Dia. Part 2 of my exclusive chat continues...
Isn't it intimidating when you look and find that cinema has been pushed to a whole new level now?
It's very intimidating and frightening the moment you start looking at cinema that's catering the youth, the family or pushing its boundaries, the no-holds-barred types because India is a land of extremities and paradoxes. We maybe celebrating a Lagaan and saying that this is great cinema. But Lagaan is Lagaan because Aamir Khan did it also. You replace the actor and remove his production name and I'll doubt whether it'll do the same business or make the same mark amongst the audiences worldwide. There are different factors that lend and contribute themselves to the business of films. Then there are pleasant moments when you see a Vicky Donor do well. There is a Delhi Belly too that pushed the boundaries too. Whatever I do I have to do it with all my heart and not look back and say – I wish I did it like this or that.
Your take on the evolving audience?
If you meet the youth in Chandigarh, Jamnagar, Guwahati, Gujarat, etc, their thought process and world view is so diverse from each other. It's unbelievable. You can't compare the youth out there to the youth in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Yes, they are all different but the other night I was watching Cocktail in PVR. I asked how Bol Bachhchan was doing and they told me it's doing phenomenal business but more in the interiors. So you may think it's doing well because of audience in Mumbai but there are so many blockbuster movies that have done well because it's worked in smaller cities and towns. You just can't predict the fate of any film today.
Would you ever make a remake of a South Indian Film?
I'm dead against the idea of remaking a South Indian film into our Hindi one. I'll never do it. When you are adapting a book, it's different. If you look at Hollywood, they are making 70% of their movies by adapting books that are inspired by true life stories. It's tragic that we don't do that. There are so many lives that we should be celebrating and documenting and putting out there which we don't because we are largely looking for escapism in cinema. No wonder it took Sir Richard Attenborough to make Gandhi and not any of us Indians. There are writers, painters, sportsmen, poets, etc. We don't celebrate our people. I am all for films like that. I think Zayed would be tempted to make a South Indian remake but I won't let him (laughs).
How about adapting a book into a film?
I was so enamoured by the books when I was growing up. I still read them sometimes. I would love to be a part of Chronicles of Narnia. The adaptations are just magical. I feel we do not have enough children's films here. I love The Faraway Tree. I'd love to adapt some of Ruskin Bond's books. There are so many more I'd love to produce and act in.
Having said that, I don't think there is scope for animation films in India. It's dead.
If you look at the Jataka Tales, Amar Chitra Katha, there are so many tales that you can adapt into animation too. But the West have gone so far ahead in their technology that it'll be next to impossible to even reach where they have reached. Kids are exposed to animation on television for free or they are exposed to Toy Story, Finding Nemo and all Pixar and Disney computer animation. So we as an animation industry are stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Which actor has surprised you in the recent past from Bollywood?
If there is an actor who has surprised me in the recent past, it has to be Richa Chaddha. She has blown me away with her acting prowess. She is phenomenal. It's wonderful to see a director use a talent like her in a movie. Anurag did it so convincingly. But sadly, there are so many talents like her who do not get a chance. Not enough people want to use it effectively. It happened with Vidya Balan but everything became good for her after Ishqiya and she did do lots of movies before too. But where she is today describes a miracle.
Films you've been watching and have left a lasting impression on you?
Hollywood film Warrior left a lasting impression on me in the recent past. I've been watching a lot of 'Guy' movies. By that I didn't mean Guy Ritchie (laughs). But yes, he will have to surpass the BBC Sherlock Holmes series. Those episodes are mind-blowingly epic. I wonder what Ritchie will do next and more importantly how. I've been revisiting Scarface, Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind and Scent Of A Woman. I love the classics.
So, what movies would you love to be a part of as an actor?
I want to be a part of stories that celebrate the human spirit. As an actor of course. Look at what Meryl Streep did to Maggie Thatcher's character. Absolute shocker of a role. Iconic. But only Meryl could've done that. How brilliant was Sean Penn in Milk. This man is unreal, he is a genius. Look at the kind of performance he brings to the cinema. I want to portray all the shades. It could be Amrita Shergill or anybody. But these are not characters that writers write and directors want to direct. They are just stuck up in some history books now in India.
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