Before Kaafir, we knew Dia Mirza as the soft-spoken girl from Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein - the one with a kind face, a calm voice, and a place in every millennial¡¯s memory. That debut made her iconic, gave her a loyal audience, and in a way, opened the doors to a filmography that¡¯s always leaned into emotion. But when she took on Kaafir, she wasn¡¯t just acting anymore but was rather surrendering.
Imagine a story that feels less like entertainment and more like a quiet ache in your heart. That's the space Dia Mirza inhabited with Kaafir, a ZEE5 series that's now finding a new wave of viewers with its re-release as a feature film in 2025.
In an exclusive conversation with Indiatimes, Mirza detailed how more than a role, it was a journey into the life of Kainaaz Akhtar, a woman caught in a world of borders and injustice. Directed by Sonam Nair, this ZEE5 project also starred Mohit Raina in the lead role.
For Dia, the heart of Kaafir is in its silences more than dialogues. "Silences demand more effort than speaking," she explains. "It¡¯s in those quiet moments where Kainaaz says nothing that you truly feel the weight of her experiences." She added, "I had to do a lot of internal work to really make myself available to Kainaaz.¡±
And the impact was real - She recalls feeling physically shaken during certain scenes. "I¡¯ll never forget the moment of the jail scene... I was so overwhelmed, I actually threw up. I was shaking for minutes after."
To bring Kainaaz to life, Dia had to venture into emotional territory that was foreign to her. "Atul Mongia pushed me to scream, to express anger, and I honestly didn¡¯t know how to do that. I didn¡¯t know how to be loud, or how to feel angry," she admits. This exercise proved to be essential in peeling back the layers of herself, allowing her to tap into the raw emotions Kainaaz needed.
The central question of Kaafir, according to Dia, is: "Who really builds these barriers? And why do we let them define everything?" She recalls a moment in the film when Kainaaz, staring out of her jail window, observes, "'Roz jail ki khidki se mai khule aasmaan ko dekhti thi, to mujhe wohi pahaad, wohi panchi nazar aate the jo mere gaanv me nazar aate the.'"
For Dia, Kaafir was more about giving voice to those who often go unheard. "I grew up in a home where I understood art as a tool to reflect, to represent, and to make a difference. Art has the power to change society," she explains. Choosing roles like Kainaaz¡¯s aligns with her belief that storytelling should have a purpose. "Art should always resonate with the storyteller¡¯s principles, and for me, it¡¯s about love. 'I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.'"
The 43-year-old is a blessed mom to Samaira and Avyaan Azaad. Becoming a mother, Dia says, has only deepened her commitment to the values she holds dear. "Having a child has strengthened my sense of purpose," she affirms. "In a world full of environmental chaos, the presence of my children gives me hope every day. It¡¯s like they¡¯re a constant reminder of why I do everything I do."
When reflecting on the state of the planet, Dia imagines a letter from Earth herself: "She would tell us that she gives us everything we need to survive... and yet, we treat her so poorly. We take and take, and give so little in return." She connects this to Kaafir, noting how we humans tend to build walls that hurt the environment. "The droughts, floods, heatwaves... It¡¯s all a wake-up call. There¡¯s nowhere else in the universe that can be our home. We can¡¯t afford to ignore this."
Dia feels a deep sense of gratitude for the way Kaafir has been received. "People connected with the story just as it was meant to be - through a humanitarian lens," she says. For Dia, this confirms the power of the story: "It¡¯s about humanising a situation, making people empathise and care. And the audience did exactly that."
The complexity of Kainaaz¡¯s character, Dia admits, lies in her position at the intersection of nationality and womanhood. "I didn¡¯t consciously understand it while I was working on the character. It¡¯s only in hindsight, when I watched the show again, that I saw the layers," she reveals. This realisation only deepened the impact of the role. "It was a powerful moment for me¡ªwhen the story reveals itself to you, that¡¯s when you truly feel connected to it."
Lastly, Mirza reflects on the enduring love for her Hindi debut film Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001). "When it was re-released in 2025, I felt like it must¡¯ve been such a catharsis for everyone involved - the producers, the director, Maddy. It felt like a celebration." The film¡¯s journey from being a box-office disappointment to becoming a cult classic shows how unpredictable audience connection can be. ¡°The love for a film doesn¡¯t end with the box office. It¡¯s always about the connection it creates beyond that," she says.
Coming back to Kaafir, then it feels like a heartbeat and a gentle rebellion. And if the movie was a love letter to humanity and cinema, then Dia Mirza is the poet who wrote it with her soul. Have you watched it yet? If yes, then drop your thoughts @indiatimes. We can¡¯t wait to hear from you!
For more news and updates from the world of?OTT?and?celebrities?from?Bollywood?and?Hollywood, keep reading?Indiatimes Entertainment.