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On Mother’s Day, Dia Mirza spoke exclusively to SCREEN about balancing her acting career with motherhood. The actor also opened up about her children, teenager Samaira and toddler Avyaan, and reflected on the dynamics of their blended family.
During the heartfelt chat, Dia was asked how she approaches her relationship with her 17-year-old daughter Samaira and 5-year-old son Avyaan. “The dynamic is very different with Samaira and Avyaan. I’ve always approached parenting with one simple principle – child-led. It is very important as a parent that your children feel loved, safe, and they are not judged. With Samaira, it is very different because she is 17 and going through a roller coaster of changes. Its extremely challenging,” she shared.
Step-siblings Samaira and Avyaan share an ‘incredible bond’
She further added, “Sometimes, it brings out the worst side of me, and makes me internalise about how I can show up better. It also makes you extremely vulnerable. With the younger one, he has such a distinct personality. They are so different but so alike. It’s so interesting to see their dynamic, love, and really incredible bond. Samaira becomes 7 when she is with Avyaan.”
For the unversed, Dia Mirza is married to businessman Vaibhav Rekhi with whom she has a son, Avyaan Azaad Rekhi. She is also a stepmother to Samaira, her husband’s daughter from his previous marriage.
Talking about the blended family dynamics, Dia said, “Honestly, I don’t think about it at all, because I think every family is unique and the emotional landscape of each family is different. In our case, we are learning and navigating everyday, trying to do our best. That’s enough, that’s all that really matters. The children understand that there is a core unit and that’s the four of us, and nothing in the world can shake it.”
‘One size doesn’t fit all’
Recently, actor Swara Bhasker slammed trolls for body-shaming her regarding her weight gain post-pregnancy. Dia Mirza stated that is not something that one can “generalise” because motherhood has shaped people’s choices and experiences very differently. “But ofcourse, there are certain common factors – the expectation to be a certain body type, the judgement that comes with it, the kind of roles that are offered or not offered because you are a certain body type.”
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The 44-year-old added, “The expectation and judgement is ridiculous. It’s so unfair. It’s not just the industry, it is happening to women in society at large. I find it appalling and deeply disrespectful. There are social structures on how women should look or behave after having a baby. No one has the right to tell so, except what she wants herself. One size doesn’t fit all, every woman’s body doesn’t respond the same way to pregnancy.”
Reflecting on her own experience as a working Bollywood mom, Dia expressed, “But for me, I feel like the industry has definitely evolved. There’s a lot of work to do, but it has improved. Motherhood was seen as an end point in the 80s and 90s. Those are also the choices the leading ladies made at that time. But with time, the narratives are changing and the audience is more accepting. I don’t feel the need to chase everything. Purpose matters deeply now than ever before. I have gotten my life’s best parts after I became a mother.”
‘Have been lucky to work with cooperative filmmakers’
Recently, actor Deepika Padukone advocated for an 8-hour workday for work-life balance as a new mother. While addressing the same, Dia Mirza said, “I think a human being’s response to a mother’s request at workplace is just a reflection of their values and humanity. I am not going to generalise again. I have been so lucky to have worked with cooperative filmmakers. When I was shooting Bheed with Anubhav Sinha, Avyaan was an infant. We were shooting in the outskirts of Uttar Pradesh. I told him that I can’t stay here non-stop for 25 days, I’ve to go back to my child.”
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She continued, “I can’t be away from him for extended periods of time. And the producers didn’t flinch, they were fine with it. I’ve had experiences with some people where there has never been an unnecessary demand on my time. It is all about finding collaborators who respect you, your motherhood and understand that there is some level of accomodation that they need to do.”
On the work front, Dia Mirza will next be seen in the film Ikka, alongside Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna. The actor also has two OTT shows (with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Jimmy Shergill) lined up, and an untitled romantic drama with Rahul Bhat.
English (US) ·