Dia Mirza recalled how comparisons with the former beauty queen and Miss World 1994, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, affected her at 19.
Women are often subjected to comparisons with one another in the entertainment industry. From their beauty to acting and success, everything becomes a topic of scrutiny for the masses. Something similar happened with actress and former Miss Asia Pacific International, Dia Mirza. The talented actress who began her career at age 18 or 19 also faced many such pressures during the initial phase of her career. In a recent interview, Dia Mirza revealed how being constantly compared to former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan impacted her.
Dia Mirza, who rose to fame with R Madhavan and Saif Ali Khan-starrer Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein in 2001, began her career with beauty pageants. Before entering showbiz, she won the Femina Miss India and Miss Asia Pacific International titles. Her beauty, grace, and acting skills soon brought her recognition. However, in a recent interaction with Zoom, the actress revealed that she disliked her appearance in her first couple of films. In her words:
"For the first 3-4 years of my career, I wore light-coloured lenses in all my films. It was ridiculous because I was desperately trying to conform to their idea of beauty. It was also bizarre that despite having won an international beauty title, I was not comfortable with who I was."
Sharing the reason behind the same, Dia revealed that she often tried to fit herself into the beauty standards of that era, like wearing light-colored lenses that were trending in the early 2000s. However, later, she understood that it was wrong. At the same time, given her journey and looks, she was often compared to the then-beauty queen, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Recalling how it affected her, Dia said:
"When I started out as an actor, there was a lot of comparison with former beauty queens, especially Aishwarya Rai. It was, of course, a huge compliment at the age of 19 because I was just starting out. Having said that, it was also a very dangerous trend."
Dia Mirza won the title of Miss Asia Pacific International in 2000. In the same year, Priyanka Chopra won Miss World and Lara Dutta won Miss Universe title. However, Dia revealed that their journeys were different. She and Lara Dutta faced more struggles as they ate instant noodles with their empty accounts to make it. On the other hand, Priyanka Chopra got complete support from her parents. She said:
"We shared Wai Wai noodles because paise nahi the. Lara and I modelled and saved that money. Neither of us used any money from our parents to do anything. Even in Priyanka's situation, she had solid support, and her parents were very involved, but with us, we just had what we had earned and saved. There were days when savings would run out, and payments would be due."
Dia Mirza began her career with modeling and beauty pageants. She ventured into acting with Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, co-starring Saif Ali Khan and R Madhavan. She later starred in films like Alag, Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge, Parineeta, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Sanju, Thappad, and more. The actress was last seen in Nadaaniyan co-starring Ibrahim Ali Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Mahima Chaudhry, Suniel Shetty, Archana Puran Singh and more.
What do you think about Dia Mirza's revelations?
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