Moving into your own house, bought from your own money – now that is a celebration, especially since I got mine at 21.

A deeply personal encounter with Bollywood’s ‘Barbie’ – the maiden with the porcelain skin, melting eyes and sculpted curls. Dia Mirza celebrates her childhood, her tryst with Hindi films and the fact that actor and most favoured co-star, Salman Khan, is such a gentleman. This ‘doll’ is for real, discovers Shirin Mehta.

DiaSpeak

Tangerine kurta-dress with silver studs, by Surily Goel, at Ensemble; metallic Kolhapuri wedge heels, by Priyanka Tejwani and Malini Kotecha, for Stoffa, at The Oak Tree. Blue glass lantern, at Z.N. Exporters; cushions, at Zeba. All in Mumbai.

I am 23 years old and I would like to get married before I am 30. I know very-very much that I want to be a mother and I will marry the man who I know will make a great father.

I have been in relationships where I thought this is Mr Right, but things did not work out. I most often find that I fall in love with men much older than myself, which is not acceptable to my family. I think I am looking for a father figure. I would celebrate the man who would love me absolutely and will not shy away from telling me. I would demand a man’s respect, his love and life. I would expect him to mollycoddle and spoil me.

We actresses are not very easy people to get along with. Everything around us is so volatile, it becomes difficult to remain grounded. Everything is a whirlwind. It is tough to find someone who shares the same pace.

Diamond earrings at Moksh.

I am not into the anorexic, starved look. We do influence teenagers and it is not fair to them.

Even before I became an actress, I would say that I will work with Salman Khan one day. I was so new, so fresh in the industry when I was paired with him, in my third film. The way Salman treats people, he leaves them completely indebted for life. He is the most caring, most fantastic person to work with.

Pink sequinned dress, by Rehane, at Evoluzione, Bangalore.
Carved wooden chair, at Essajee's, Mumbai.


Styling by Nisha Jhangiani.
Dia’s smoky festive look by
Mickey Contractor, for M.A.C.
Foundation, studio stick NC 30; blusher, copper tone; eyeshadow, meadow land
and freshwater (blue); lip pencil, plum;
lip gloss, beaux, c thru.

For complete story, subscribe to Verve Magazine or buy the Verve issue on stands now!