If you thought Dia Mirza was down and out, you couldn't be more wrong.
"I have got many challenging roles," Dia said while shooting for Stop on Mumbai's Marine Drive. "Six of my films will hit the theatres in 2004."
Dia makes a special appearance in the film, which stars newcomer Rocky Bhatia.
What prompted her to do this role? "If I can make a difference to a film with my presence," she said, "I will opt for it. I never have preconceived notions that I have to do only heroine roles. It is a very special role and therefore I did it."
In Stop Dia plays a woman whose marriage is going through a bad phase. She meets up with her ex-boyfriend and what unfolds in their lives forms the rest of the movie.
Stop is about four women and a man living in Dubai, where the film has been extensively shot. It also features an Arab actor, Sameer, who plays Dia's husband.
"We had a great time shooting in Dubai," she said. "Sameer is a theatre actor. He has performed his role brilliantly in the film. [Director] Ajay Sinha too has done a great job. Like his television serials [Astitva, Hasratein], he has put in a lot of effort making this film."
Watch out for the soundtrack of Stop, she added. "Vishal-Shekhar have done a great job. I am sure this album will be a hit."
What about her other films? "I am doing Anurag Basu's Tumsa Nahi Dekha," she continued. "It is a very sweet and pure love story. The film is about a boy and a girl and their meeting, separation, and reunion. The girl is very enthusiastic about life. She does not come from a happy background. Yet she manages to be happy and make people around her happy. Nadeem-Shravan have scored the music. It is a musical film."
She is also working on Anil Devgan's Black Mail. "I play Ajay Devgan's wife," she revealed. "It is an interesting role. In this film, the audience will understand how important it is for a woman to bear a child. How many responsibilities a woman has when she becomes a mother.
"Then there is Prateeksha with Suchitra Sen, where I play a Christian girl. Another film is Koi Mere Dil Mein that will release in July. I am also doing a thriller Naam Gum Jayega with Amol Shetge, and Neeraj Vohra's Dil Sacha Chehra Jhoota, co-starring Arjun Rampal and Paresh Rawal. I am happy with the way my career is moving."
"Every director is trying to reinvent Dia Mirza now," she added with a smile.
Didn't the failure of Khalid Mohamed's Tehzeeb disappoint her? "When you set out to make a good movie, you don't know how it will end up," Dia said, philosophically. "You cannot have grudges. Moviemaking is like bearing a child. Sometimes a child turns wrong."
On the personal front, Dia admits her relationship with Bunty Walia is over: "We had a good time together," she said. "I don't regret spending time with him. Right now, I have a lot of responsibilities. I am not ready for any new relationship. I lost my father recently. I am going to concentrate on my films now."
Dia said a thorough professional would never allow her personal life to affect her professional work. "Acting is the only profession where you cannot break down because of your personal woes," she claimed. "It teaches you that your personal tragedy has to be kept away from your job. If you have to act, you have to do it. There is no option. People in other jobs can take a break, but not us."
