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In conversation with Dia Mirza
Link http://www.starboxoffice.com/gallery/sbogallery.aspx?aid=3398
Dia Mirza has become a producer with Born Free, a company she shares with Zayed Khan and Sahil Singha. Their first film, Love Break Ups Zindagi will be out in August. She talks about the film her equation with her partners, and more.
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| What made you venture into production and what did you like about the script? I think it was the level of possessiveness to the script that made us want to make the film. We did not want it to outside to somebody who was not impassioned by it. Love Break Ups Zindagi is a picture from the heart and we want to make it with that clarity. It was a simple and clear decision to make the film. The script happened first and then we set up the production house happened. We were going to make an action comedy earlier but this was a ready script. I said that we should start with a romantic comedy because the company is from the heart and rom-coms are very identifiable and real. A rom-com would be purely reflective of our beliefs and our company. We took this decision in an instant on Zayed's terrace. I have been in the industry for a decade and I wanted to do something that was a sea-change from what I have done in the past. Shabana Azmi told me that my timing of making the switch is perfect. When we started Born Free and put our team together, we got Yasmin Jain on board and she has years of experience as a producer. We knew how much experience people would need in every department. Born Free is not about one film because we want to make many movies that will give new people opportunities to work in this field. Zayed and I felt under-utilized as actor so we went ahead and set up our production house to create opportunities for ourselves and others like us. We are go-getters, fighters, born survivors. We have conviction and faith in our dreams and aspirations. |
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| Who chose the title? Zayed came up with the title. I was skeptical about it but Zayed and Sahil told me that this title would click and stick with audiences. It also tells audiences what to expect and is suitable for the content of the film. |
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| Will you act in every film that you produce? Not at all! That is not a pre-condition. I will only do it if I suit the role and the director wants me. Acting is our (Zayed and mine) passion and we are producers now but we will not do every film from Born Free. |
Tell us about your friendship with Zayed.
Zayed and I got really close when he was getting married to Malaika. We prepared a skit for him. I coordinated the rehearsals with Hrithik, Riteish, and other friends. We formed a beautiful bond because I was part of a very big moment in his life. After that I have been part of every other important event such as discovering their pregnancy to playing scrabble with Malaika when she was really huge and irritable to seeing Zidaan take his first step.
I love his wife Malaika. I think we are soul-sisters. I love his son and family too and there is a lot of love to be shared. Sahil, Zayed, and I became very close around three years ago. We are three bodies and one soul. Zayed is the force, Sahil is the leader, and I am the heart of the company.
Zayed and I got really close when he was getting married to Malaika. We prepared a skit for him. I coordinated the rehearsals with Hrithik, Riteish, and other friends. We formed a beautiful bond because I was part of a very big moment in his life. After that I have been part of every other important event such as discovering their pregnancy to playing scrabble with Malaika when she was really huge and irritable to seeing Zidaan take his first step.
I love his wife Malaika. I think we are soul-sisters. I love his son and family too and there is a lot of love to be shared. Sahil, Zayed, and I became very close around three years ago. We are three bodies and one soul. Zayed is the force, Sahil is the leader, and I am the heart of the company.
| Is production difficult? Are you nervous about your first film? I think if you are prepared and convinced about what you are doing, there is no need to be nervous. We have spent seven months in conceptualization and pre-production. Nobody spends that much time preparing on a romantic comedy. We have involved everybody in the script. Our script has been in the making for two years. Nervousness comes from being uncertain and unclear but I am very sure and relaxed about everything because everybody knows what they are doing. The movie will be shot in Mumbai, Alibaug, Chandigarh, and Delhi in a start-to-finish 46-day schedule. The budget is small but it does not look like a small film. |
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| Your friend Arshad Warsi is also a producer and you part of his first film. What did you learn from him? I learnt a lot from Arshad. Production is a huge responsibility and he handled it beautifully. The film did not work but I am not affected by that because I know he made a sweet film from the heart. I am an actor so I know how I want to be treated. It is also important to treat the technicians properly because they work twice as much as actors without getting due credit for the same. We want everybody associated with Born Free to be treated right. That is why we introduced every cast and crew member at the time we announced the film. |
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| How is Sahil as a director? I do not want to say much because I do not want to raise expectations. Sahil is a very good writer and he is very level-headed. He loves films. He has a marketing background and he gave it all up one day to pursue his film dreams. He exuded immense confidence and clarity in spite of being a first-time director. I am not the only one saying it because even the senior actors in our film such as Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani believe so. I am not worried at all. |
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| What do you look for in the people you hire? How does it feel to sign cheques? First thing we check for is that is this a nice, warm, good-natured person. A warm personality is what matters and after that the credentials follow. We have to like each other instantly. It feels great to sign cheques because I am making a small contribution to their lives. I feel an immense sense of peace. I have signed more cheques in six months than I have given autographs in my career! |
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| What are your forthcoming films? We want to make an action comedy after this. I will not be part of it because I do not want to jump around on the set. We only want to make two films a year. I do not want to run from one set to another. Production is not easy. I am not window dressing and I am an active producer so I want to focus on one film at a time. |
Link http://www.starboxoffice.com/gallery/sbogallery.aspx?aid=3398
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