Dia Mirza on career break

Actress recalls taking break at career peak, calling it a “homecoming” during Soha Ali Khan’s podcast appearance

Bollywood actress Dia Mirza has opened up about taking a break at the peak of her early career. During her appearance on Soha Ali Khan’s podcast All About Her, the Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein actress revealed that she chose to step back at the age of 24 to reconnect with herself.

Dia shared that despite achieving financial independence and professional success, she felt unfulfilled and decided to pause and reassess her life choices. Calling the period a “homecoming of sorts,” she reflected on how the sabbatical helped her rediscover happiness and purpose.

She said, “Like many, I was also sucked into the world of commodification, and as a model, my primary job was to sell everything. I felt conflicted in many roles I was playing because they did not always reflect the integrity or ethos I believed in.”

The actress added, “I stepped back in 2005. I took a two-year sabbatical at what is considered your prime. I was 24. I realised I was not enjoying what I was doing despite financial independence. That’s when I decided to return to myself. It was like a homecoming of sorts.”

Dia Mirza made her acting debut with Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein and later appeared in films such as Dus, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Shootout at Lokhandwala, and Kurbaan.