Dia Mirza

Dia Mirza has built a career most actors would not have the patience for. Born Dia Handrich in 1981, she won Femina Miss India Asia Pacific in 2000 and went on to take the Miss Asia Pacific International crown the same year, which is the sort of launch that usually decides the next decade for you.

She used it well. Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein in 2001 made her a household face immediately, and the films that followed showed she was not interested in staying decorative: Dus, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Shootout at Lokhandwala and Kurbaan. Sanju in 2018 became her highest-grossing release, and Thappad in 2020 put her in one of the more serious Hindi films of recent years.

She also moved behind the camera, starting the production house Born Free Entertainment in 2011.

The part that genuinely sets her apart is the work that has nothing to do with films. She is a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and a United Nations Secretary-General’s Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals, which is not an honorary title handed out for turning up. Very few people in this industry have that on their record.

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More on Dia Mirza: en.wikipedia.org