Sushant Singh Rajput’s death fueled the nepotism debate in Bollywood. Several actors including Radhika Madan, Sushmita Sen and Vikrant Massey came forward to speak about the work culture in the industry. The latest actor to join the ‘outsiders vs insiders’ debate is Dia Mirza.
Speaking to a media portal, Dia acknowledged that favouritism does exist in the entertainment industry and said that it happens everywhere. “Is there favouritism? Of course, there is. But it is a social issue, it’s something that all human beings do and happens in all walks of life. It happens in schools and classrooms, teachers have their favourite students. Favouritism is nothing new to the construct of human nature. It is something that we have always had,” the actress said.
Opening up about her battle with favouritism in the industry, Dia revealed that she has lost many films to other actors over the years and it was hurtful. The actress, who made her Bollywood debut with Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein (RHTDM), said, “I do understand that if I had been favoured by certain individuals, maybe that would have opened up more opportunities for me.” However, Dia believes that it is important to walk your own path and set your course and discover your own opportunities. She used to find it very unsettling when she was young and there have been times when she was disturbed by it as well. “I have lost films to other actors and it’s hurtful but you get up, you dust it off and you move forward,” she added.
On being asked about the camps in Bollywood, Dia said “Of course, there are camps! There are camps of people who get along with each other, who work closely and intimately with each other, their personalities gel.”
Another topic that’s raging on social media at the moment is the existence of ‘movie-mafia’ that controls a section of the media. Dia also opened up about the PR machinery that works for industry’s elite, “Honestly, I feel there is a PR machinery. There are certain individuals that because of maybe their stronger revenue stream have certain people handling their PR and there is so much favouritism that even happens in the media. There are soe many people who are deserving of more respect and a lot more attention than they get.”
Several actors like Divya Dutta and Huma Qureshi who come into this industry without any Godfathers have revealed that favouritism is definitely the bigger evil. Well, we hope that Bollywood grows out of it.
Featured Image: Instagram/Dia Mirza
