Bollywood actress Dia Mirza, who turned 40 in December 2021, believes that ageism was a problem for women in the past and that it is “empowering” to see roles created for women her age today.

The actress says she is getting the best roles of her career now that she has reached the age of 40. While there were few opportunities for women beyond the age of 35 in the past, things have changed now, and they are being offered a variety of characters, said the former Miss Asia Pacific International.

Before she made her acting debut in the 2001 romantic film Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein opposite R Madhavan, the Hyderabad-born actress was a successful model and won the Miss Asia Pacific title a year before her Bollywood debut. She has subsequently appeared in several films, but she claims that the work she is doing now is some of the greatest of her career.

She told PTI, “Ageism is something that we have to contend with and I am glad the opportunities that are coming my way today in so many ways have fixed this problem. Every time I get to play a powerful character in a good film, I am challenging that norm, resetting the big gap and divide that the industry had created for women post the age of 35 and limiting them only to playing certain kinds of parts.”

She has made a name for herself as an actress with roles in films such as Parineeta, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, and Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. After her recent outings in films like Sanju and Thappad, her career took off. She has also dipped her toes in the digital medium with the 2019 ZEE5 series Kaafir.

The Sanju actress added, “It is a powerful recognition and intervention that I am playing the best parts of my life now when I am 40. This is just so amazing, liberating, empowering, and wonderful. It is a reflection of the fact that there are individuals in the industry that are evolving. And it is proof of the fact that you have to remain persistent, consistent and want to continue to push boundaries as a performer as opportunities will open up for you.”

Dia, who was seen in a supporting role in the 2020 film Thappad, claimed that after working on the film, she noticed a definitive difference in the way stories are presented. She also stated that she did not expect the love, respect, and recognition she received for her role in the film because it was not a major one.

“I see a definitive shift and also the way the stories are being treated. I would not have imagined the love, respect and recognition that Thappad gave me because it was an underwritten part, it was not one of the more prominent parts in terms of writing”, she added.

Her next project will be a sociopolitical drama Bheed directed by Anubhav Sinha, who previously directed her in Thappad, Dus, and Cash.

“I am glad we connected and we did Thappad together. I am grateful to be part of Bheed. It is a kind of story that needs to be told. It is pertinent, poignant. It is a privilege to be part of this story”, She added.

She's also filming for Dhak Dhak, which her Thappad co-star Taapsee Pannu is producing. Ratna Pathak Shah, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sanjana Sanghi also star in Dhak Dhak.

“We have four women from different age groups, different milieu of society on a journey together. It opens up space for so much conversation,” she added.