No roles after certain age in Bollywood for women says Dia Mirza

Agencies
June 22, 2018

Mumbai, Jun 22: Dia Mirza says exciting work opportunities start thinning out for female actors after they reach a certain age as filmmakers and some male actors "above 50" prefer to cast young heroines.

Dia, who is returning to the silver screen after a gap of six years with Rajkumar Hirani's "Sanju", believes the film industry is not that welcoming to female actors in their mid 30s.

"For women (actors), especially once they hit their mid 30s, opportunities, unfortunately, start shrinking because some filmmakers want to cast young actresses and most male actors, who have well passed their 50s, (also) want to work with the younger talent.

"One needs to break through this. It is going to take some fundamental changes in the way we approach our cinema whether it is about every woman making her choices or choosing to marry when she wants and continue to be a professional," Mirza told PTI in an interview.

Citing the example of yesteryear stars Sharmila Tagore, Waheeda Rehman and Smita Patil, who continued to get roles after marriage, Dia said today's actors "have to push themselves, explore opportunities, and even create them for themselves".

Dia, 36, said she waited for the right kind of roles and never accepted the offers that she felt were not good.

"I waited for two-and-half years from the time I finished my Iranian film to hear from a credible filmmaker asking me to be a part of his film. In December 2016, I got a call from Rajkumar Hirani for 'Sanju'. I was leaving for a vacation at that time. Raju sir (Rajkumar Hirani) told me to come to my office as he wanted to narrate a film.

"I told him that I am travelling. He said I might have to cancel the trip. He said that if I like the film and role, we will have to start reading immediately as the shooting will begin in 15 days," she recalled.

The actor said she was excited to resume work as not working on a film is "terrifying".

"I was relived and excited because I wasn't working on a film...it was scary and terrifying. I was excited and pumped to be part of a film that would be credible. To work with Raju sir, who I have always admired, on 'Sanju' was a very nice experience," Dia said.

Though Dia had not done any film for six years, the actor said that during the period she worked harder than she had worked in her entire career so far.

"..It's just that I was not in front of the camera. As an actor you feel most alive in front of the camera. I was doing a lot of work off-camera which was very satisfying and wonderful," the actor said.

She recalled various assignments she did while she was not acting in movies.

"I had the opportunity to meet some extraordinary human beings and to cover extraordinary stories whether it was 'Ganga -The Soul of India' or work for environment. It has been an enriching ride so far. But I guess as an actor, the one place where you feel most comfortable is in front of the camera," she said.

Dia had worked as a marketing executive during her college days before she started modelling for print and TV commercials, which led to a career in acting.

"I have had my share of ups and downs. I had to deal with the pressure of public attention and the pressure of brickbats, but it has been very exciting. I came to Mumbai with nothing. (Today), I have everything that I could have possibly asked for," she said.

"The greatest thing is that I could stand my ground and work with my own values. In my opinion, as long as you are happy, financially secure and have opportunities, you are successful," she said.

Dia is currently awaiting the release of "Sanju", a biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt, in which she plays the role of Dutt's wife Manyata.

The film is scheduled to be released on June 29.

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News Network
July 27,2020

Mumbai, Jul 27: Reel life villain Sonu Sood turned real life hero once again, this time by gifting a tractor on Sunday to a farmer in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh to help him till the land. The actor came up with the gift after coming through a video clip on Twitter wherein a tomato farmer in Madanapalle in Chittoor district was seen ploughing the land with his two daughters carrying the yoke on their shoulders.

In his instant reaction, Sood promised a pair of ox to the farmer, but later said the family deserved a tractor. "So sending you one. By evening a tractor will be ploughing your fields. Stay blessed," Sood, who acted as a villain in numerous Telugu films, said in a tweet.

True to his word, a new tractor was delivered to the elated farmer Nageswara Rao at his Mahalrajupalle village by Sunday night. Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, who belongs to Chittoor district, hailed the actor's gesture.

"Spoke with @sonusood ji and applauded him for his inspiring effort to send a tractor to Nageswara Rao's family in Chittoor district. Moved by the plight of the family, I have decided to take care of the education of the two daughters and help them pursue their dreams," Naidu said in a tweet.

Rao's elder daughter completed her Intermediate while the second one passed Class 10. Rao used to run a tea stall in Madanapalle before coronavirus left him out of business. He returned to his native Mahalrajupalle village to take up agriculture once again.

Given his penury, he could not hire either a pair of bulls or a tractor to till the land, when his daughters volunteered to help him on the chores. Their plight went viral on social media following which the actor stepped in with help.

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News Network
March 12,2020

Los Angeles, Mar 12: Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks has revealed that he and wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The actor couple, currently in Australia to shoot for the pre-production of Baz Luhrmann's untitled Elvis Presley film, decided to get tested after they felt "a bit tired".

"Hey folks Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive," Hanks said in a tweet.

The Academy-award-winning actor said the medical team had already taken over.

"The medical officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks will be tested, observed and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires," Hanks said.

"Not much more to it than one-day at a time approach, no? We will keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!" Hanks tweeted.

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News Network
April 14,2020

Mumbai, Apr 14: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope has thanked Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for providing 25,000 personal protective equipment for health workers.

Khan on Monday provided the personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to the frontline medical staff in Maharashtra fighting to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic in the state.

Tope took to Twitter to thank the actor for the help.

Many thanks Mr. Shah Rukh Khan for your kind contribution of 25,000 PPE kits. This will go a long way in supporting our fight against COVID19 & protecting our frontline medical care team @iamsrk @MeerFoundation @CMOMaharashtra," he tweeted.

The actor and his wife Gauri Khan recently offered their four-storey personal office space for treating COVID-19 patients.

Khan had earlier announced various initiatives to help the country during the crisis.

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