Divya Dutta began her journey in Bollywood as a teenager. Barely 16 when she debuted with Ishq Mein Jeena Ishq Mein Marna, the actor gained prominence with the 1999 Punjabi film Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Boota Singh. But she admits that for years, work was hard to come by. At this juncture, success came to her after Veer Zaara and Divya was flooded with offers. She ended up signing as many as 20 films, but only to return the money for many of them after a conversation with Aditya Chopra. In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Divya talks about her career and why she has prioritised quality over quantity now.
When Divya signed 20 films at once
Divya reminisces about the beginning of her journey in films in the mid-90s. “I felt out of place,” she admits, “For me, finding my place was a journey in itself. Along the way, you realise what you want. As life happens to you, it is when that clarity of thought comes to you ki mujhe kya chahiye (what do I want). You find your niche, your calling, and you know what your next step should be.”
The actor recalls a time around 2007 when she was inundated with film offers and ended up signing almost 20 films at one time. “I remember I had taken up 20 odd films because there was a time when I didn’t have any. Suddenly, I was offered so many, so I took them all,” she recalls.
How Aditya Chopra’s advice changed her mind
However, Divya ended up dropping out of all the films she had not started work on after a chance meeting with Aditya Chopra, whom she had worked with in Veer-Zaara and Aaja Nachle. “One day, I went to Aditya Chopra to just meet and have a cup of chai. We had just finished Aaja Nachle. I told him I signed 20 films. He did not respond, so I asked him, ‘Aren’t you excited for me?’ He said, ‘Is there a dearth of work for you or financially?’ I was very taken aback and said no. Then he asked me why I was signing so many films. ‘You are a very good actor, why don’t you leave a legacy behind?’,” recalls Divya.
The actor says the conversation with Adi Chopra changed how she looked at work and opportunities. “It hit me hard,” she says, “I had not thought of it this way. It was my choice whether to listen to him or continue making money with those 20 films. There was a lot at stake. But I went back and returned the signing amounts of the films I hadn’t started. From then on, I only did stuff that I enjoyed. That was the stand I took.”
Divya eventually won a National Award for Best Supporting Actress for Irada in 2017, while also appearing in commercially successful films like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Badlapur, and Chhaava. The actor was most recently seen in the web series Chiraiya, streaming on JioHotstar.
