05 June,2026 06:28 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Dia Mirza (Pic/Instagram)
Dia Mirza reflected on a pivotal phase in her life when she stepped away from the spotlight at the age of 24. The actress opened up about taking a two-year sabbatical despite professional success. Dia also opened up about her parents' separation and shared how her father had a firm moral compass, which shaped her responsibility towards environmental causes.
During her appearance on Soha Ali Khan's podcast All About Her, the actress revealed that she chose to step back at the age of 24 to reconnect with herself. Dia shared that despite achieving financial independence and professional success, she felt unfulfilled and decided to pause and reassess her life choices.
Calling the period a homecoming of sorts, the actress reflected on how the sabbatical helped her rediscover happiness and purpose. Dia shared, "Like many, I was also sucked into the world of commodification, and as a model, my primary job was really to sell everything. And, it's very interesting because I felt so dichotomous. In fact, I felt conflicted even in so many parts I was playing because I realized that they carry the integrity or the intelligence or the ethos that I carried. And I was not able to embody that spirit in the parts that I was playing at some level or the other; then what was I standing for?"
The actress added, "I stepped back in 2005. I took a 2-year sabbatical at what is considered your prime. I was 24. And I said I don't like what I am doing. I am not having fun. I have made money. I am independent; I have a home I can call my own in a city that is now mine because it embraced me, and I don't have to worry about my bills, but this is not making me happy. And that's when I realized I needed to go back to myself. So, it was like a homecoming of sorts."
Dia shared how her family experiences helped shape her strong sense of responsibility and commitment to environmental causes. She recalled that one of the reasons her parents separated was because her father had a firm moral compass when it came to the kind of work he was willing to accept.
She said, "One of the reasons why my parents separated was because my father had such a strong point of view about the projects that he would take on."
She revealed how he rejected a lucrative offer after learning that the factory he had been asked to design was releasing effluents into a nearby river.
On the acting front, Mirza will be seen in Ikka, a film that brings together an ensemble cast featuring Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, and Tillotama Shome. She will also star in Netflix's Operation Safed Sagar, which also features Mihir Ahuja and Jummy Shergill. She will also star with Rahul Bhat in Kanwal Sethi's Love Story.
