MUMBAI: Actor-turned-producer Dia Mirza is busy casting for three films being made under her banner and says she would love to work with Kahaani actor Vidya Balan.
Dia co-owns production house, Born Free Entertainment, along with her beau, businessman Sahil Sangha, and actor Zayed Khan. Love Breakups Zindagi was their first venture. “Vidya is someone I would love to cast in the film. She is a dear friend with a great temperament,” said Dia, adding that Vidya is a powerhouse performer.
Dia’s wish list doesn’t end on Vidya. Adding more names, she said: “I would love to work with Huma Qureshi and Richa Chadda — they are very talented actors.”
Talking about the status of three projects, Dia said: “We are in the process of developing three films. We will start filming in October. We have invested one-and-a-half year in scripting. It is everything that we stand by … All three [films] will release mid next year,” she said.
The producer said that the common thread between the three films is “universal human stories”. “They [films] are all human interest stories. If I had to streamline the genre, I would say each one of them is a coming-of-age story. The milieu of the characters is different. I am excited about the quality of writing. Each writer was given one-and-a-half year. It has been an exciting and exasperating process,” she said.
When asked if film-making is different from narrating good stories on celluloid, the actor-turned-producer said, “A lot of us are in a hurry to just make a film. I was clear that whatever I do, it should take care of everything. The storyline is my priority. I want to tell unique stories.”
Dia also added that she is not keen on acting in her films. “I will not take up any role, if the film does not need me,” she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2013.
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