Dia Mirza recently spoke her mind about the age gap between male and female leads of movies in Indian cinema. At an event, the actress shared her experience of being paired opposite much older male actors in films. Here’s what she has to say about the age-related disparities in the industry.
Dia Mirza calls out agism in the film industry
Speaking at the We The Women event, Dia Mirza expressed that at the age of 40, she is more “focused, sharper, and doing some of the best work.” During the same, the actress also shed light on how the industry casting practices have not changed over the years.Questioning the on-screen pairings, Dia Mirza said, “I find it interesting that I’m cast opposite actors in their late 50s, 60s, and even 70s—and we’re meant to be seen as romantic equals on screen.” The actress then made the point that female actresses never get cast opposite male stars who are younger than them. She said, “Yet you’ll never see a 60- or 70-year-old woman cast opposite a man in his 40s, playing a contemporary romantic lead.”The actress expressed that the industry has a perspective that women are not desirable after a certain age. Sharing her thoughts on the same, she said, “That pairing simply doesn’t exist for women. Not because it lacks credibility—but because our industry still struggles to imagine women as desirable, relevant, and central beyond a certain age.”She concluded the topic by putting forth her point that it’s not about men aging, but “it’s about women being denied the right to age with visibility, dignity, and complexity on screen.”
More about Dia Mirza
The actress was last seen in the film ‘Nadaaniyan’, in which she played the role of Ibrahim Ali Khan‘s character’s mother, Nandini Mehta. The film premiered on an OTT platform in March this year.Reportedly, she will next feature in a movie directed by Kanwal Sethi, which will mark her return to the romantic genre.
