Former Miss Asia Pacific Dia Mirza shares a close bond with her contemporaries Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta, who made the country proud by winning the crowns of Miss World and Miss Universe, respectively, in 2000. While all three have established their names in the industry, it is always a delight to know about their thoughts about each other and the relationship they share. In a conversation with News18.com, Dia Mirza opened up about her bond with Priyanka and Lara, and how they are related to each other.
The Thappad actor said, “Priyanka, Lara, and I, all three of us won Miss India in the year 2000 and we were young. It was a special year because all three of us went on to win our international pageants. We have shared some beautiful times together and it is a bond that is fierce because it is a bond of sisterhood.”
Dia Mirza went on to explain how she feels connected with Priyanka and also said that we all three are lucky to have each other. “We have experienced different things in life at different points and now Priyanka and I have both had babies. It was so strange to see her having to go through something so similar that I’ve also gone through. We both had babies very prematurely and I think when you have shared life experiences they make you feel even more connected. Now that we are both mothers, there is just a deeper understanding, a deeper sense of respect and love. So, I think all three of us are lucky to have each other and of course, Lara has been a very strong pillar of support in my life. I hope that I’ve been able to offer both of them strength and support,” said the actor.
Dia also talked about how “mom guilt” triggers working women when they leave their little ones at home and sent out a message to all the homemakers. She said, “Right now I’m doing something that is possibly the hardest thing a mother can ever do – I’m away from my child, working. I know a lot of young mothers who realise that I’m away from my baby working right now, who have reached out to me and said, how are you doing it? My only suggestion would be that mom guilt is real and there will be all kinds of people around you who will be constantly guilting you for things that you really shouldn’t be feeling guilty for.
“I told my gynaecologist that I’m feeling very anxious about leaving my baby to go to work and he said, ‘Well, while being a mother is an integral part of our identity, it is not the only thing that you are. And it is so important for you to remember that you are a working professional and the best example that you can set for your children is to let them know – they are loved, they are protected, they are cared for.’ But mom also goes to work and that’s okay. The message is don’t feel guilty. Of course, it is hard, every cell in my body is wanting to hold my baby, but we can recognize the value, and the merits of being a working professional and being able to do something that is meaningful, that I hope in some way, will guide my son and my daughter in life or in the future,” she added.
Dia Mirza and her husband Vaibhav Rekhi welcomed their son Avyaan prematurely on May 14, 2021, via an emergency C-Section and was tended to by nurses and doctors in a neonatal ICU. However, they shared the news with the world on two months after the baby’s arrival.
