Dia Mirza: It bothers me when identities are viewed through a religious lens

Related News

Theme of Kaafir will transcend all barriers: Dia Mirza

Art suffers at the hands of fear: Dia Mirza

Bhamla Foundation to release song themed on air pollution on World Environment Day

As someone who grew up in a secular atmosphere, actor Dia Mirza says she is pained when people are viewed through a religious lens.

Advertising

The actor, who was born to a Christian father, a Bengali mother and raised in a Muslim home, says her identity has never been limited to religion, culture, caste or community.

“My identity has always been of a citizen of this planet and a human being. It bothers me when identities are viewed through a religious lens. If you go back to history, every time human beings have moved towards majoritarianism, they have gone away from inclusivity and they have suffered. They have suffered at the hands of fear,” Dia told PTI.

The actor said those who propagate singular ideologies are the ones “who want to control us.”

Advertising

“People want to control us by driving or re-enforcing fear. The only thing which can free us from this fear is art. This is why art exists. This is why we tell stories. We tell stories to evoke human empathy, compassion and to navigate human compass.

“Prejudices and labels limit us. We arent born with any understanding of what faith, religion, community or country we belong to. We are taught prejudices which have done nothing but harm us. We need to unlearn all of them,” she said.

Dia will be next seen on ZEE5s Kashmir-set web series Kaafir, which chronicles the life of a young Pakistani woman (Dia) who comes to India through a strange series of circumstances and is unable to return home.

The series revolves around the relationship between the woman, who is accused of militancy, and her Indian lawyer (Mohit Raina) who makes her justice his sole objective.

Popular Photos

Celeb spotting: Rakul Preet Singh, Janhvi Kapoor, Dia Mirza and others

83: Deepika Padukone joins Ranveer Singh in Glasgow

Inside The Sky is Pink wrap-up party: Priyanka Chopra dances the night away

“Doing the show has been truly empowering. It is actually with a great sense of urgency that we told this story. Its done in a manner that iRead More – Source