Dia Mirza

Some Lesser Known Facts About Dia Mirza

• Dia was born to Frank Handrich, a German Catholic, and Deepa, a Bengali Hindu. When Dia was four-and-a-half years old, her parents got divorced, and her mother got remarried to Ahmed Mirza, a Dakhini Muslim from Hyderabad. Dia took her step father’s surname. She is the only child of her parents.
  

• While studying in school, she worked as a marketing executive for a multimedia firm, Neeraj’s Multi-media Studio and earned a monthly salary of Rs. 5000. At the same time, she worked as a model for brands like Lipton, Wall’s ice cream, and Emami.

• When she had just finished her schooling, she got a call from one of her family friends, (who worked at the Times of India office in Hyderabad) who told Dia about the Miss India contest. She sent her portfolio and was selected for the contest.

• Her mother was against Dia participating in the Miss India contest because she wanted Dia to study in a law school in Bangalore. However, her step-father convinced her mother to let her participate in the contest.

• In 2000, she became the second runner up at the pageant, Femina Miss India. She also won the title of Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Avon, and Miss Close-Up Smile at the pageant.
  

• Later, she was sent to Miss Asia Pacific, where she won the pageant and brought India its third win in the international beauty pageants in the year 2000 (Lara Dutta won Miss Universe, and Priyanka Chopra won Miss World).
  

• In 2000, she first appeared in Babul Supriyo and Alka Yagnik‘s song ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’, opposite Akashdeep Saigal.

• After making her acting debut with the 2001 film “Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein,” she acted in many box office hits such as, Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge (2002), Dum (2003), Tumsa Nahin Dekha – A Love Story (2004), Parineeta (2005), Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006), Salam Mumbai (2016), and Sanju (2018).

• In 2000, she also appeared in the Tamil film “En Swasa Kaatre.”

• She co-owned a production called “Born Free Entertainment” with her ex-husband, Sahil Sangha. Films like, Love Breakups Zindagi (2011) and Bobby Jasoos (2014), and the web series, Mind the Malhotras (2019) were produced under the banner. After getting divorced from her husband, she launched her production house “One India Stories” in December 2019.
  

• Over the years, Dia has evolved as a social activist; fighting for various social causes. She has been involved Cancer Patients Aid Association, Spastics Society of India, PETA, CRY, and NDTV Greenathon and has worked with the government of Andhra Pradesh to spread awareness about HIV and prevention of female foeticide.
  

• In 2010, she adopted two cheetah cubs at the Prince of Wales zoological park in Lucknow.

• Dia, along with Aamir Khan came out openly in support of Narmada Bachao Andolan.

• On 5 June 2017, on the occasion of World Environment Day, she was appointed as the Brand Ambassador the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). She has lent her support to WTI in their campaigns and is also one of the founding member’s of the Club Nature initiative of WTI.
  

• Dia Mirza has endorsed the brand “The Body Shop” for their initiative on the ban on animal testing and propagation of recycled packaging and natural products.

• Dia Mirza has also been appointed as the eco ambassador for Panasonic, ambassador for Swachh Bharat Mission’s youth-based ‘Swachh Saathi’ programme, first artist ambassador for Save The Children India, and UN Environment’s Goodwill Ambassador for India.
  

• There is a leopardess at the Lucknow Zoo named after Dia Mirza, the zoo-keepers named her after Dia Mirza because they rescued the leopardess from Mirzapur. The leopardess gave birth to two cubs and the zoo officials requested Dia to give them names, Dia named them Ashoka and Nakshatra.