Thursday, 17 June 2021 | Pioneer
Actor Dia Mirza says that Kaafir is relevant for its message of love and peace, especially now when we are being reminded of our shared humanity everyday
Two years ago in June, Dia Mirza-starrer and Sonal Nair-directorial Kaafir made their debut as a web television series and instantly connected with the audience across the world. Written by Bhavani Iyer, the series told the wrenching story of Kainaaz Akhtar, a woman who mistakenly crosses the LOC, is presumed to be a militant, and is held, prisoner.
The series was a grim and poignant retelling of a similar incident and reminded the audience of the human cost paid by innocent citizens when nations mistrust each other.
Dia says, “It is difficult to not empathise with a woman who goes through so much suffering for no fault of hers. A woman who is also a mother and no longer knows if she will ever experience a sense of home. It is a human story that will always be relevant for its message of love and peace but is particularly pertinent now because we are being reminded every day by the pandemic of our shared humanity. We are being reminded that hate and violence are ultimately futile emotions. What remains after we are gone is just this question, ‘Did we love this world and those inhabiting it enough?’”
Dia says, the fundamental humanism informing the story instantly drew her to the character of Kainaz and she says, “Deep-rooted prejudices make us forget that we are human first and Kaafir continues to remind us of this fact. Hate is a corrosive emotion and robs us of our ability to empathise with each other and vitiates life so much that we forget to love, to be kind, to build a world where there is more light than darkness. Yes, geopolitical tensions are real but so is the hope that one day we can resolve them.”
Kaafir was also Dia’s digital debut and she says, “The performance had to be subtle and yet expressive of the turmoil within the character and I felt truly humbled when so many fans and critics sent me appreciative messages after watching the series.”
She also won a Critic’s Choice nod for Best Actor (OTT) at Gold Awards.
