Dia Mirza: Lesser known facts

Dia Mirza takes on Meenakshi LekhiActor-producer Dia Mirza took Twitter by storm when she went all out to register her objection to BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi’s comment regarding Mother Teresa. For the record, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has hit the hornet’s nest with his comment that Mother Teresa helped and served the poor to convert them to Christianity.
As the debate heated over his controversial comment, Meenakshi Lekhi came to his rescue by quoting Mother Teresa from an old interview that her job was to bring people to the fold of Christianity. Furious with their statements, Dia tweeted, “Shame on you #MeenakshiLekhi you contort personal faith/work to validate a statement that should be condemned. #MotherTeresa.” This was followed with another tweet from Dia, “Actually you know what? I am ashamed. Of our thoughts, our actions and our words. #MotherTeresa.” As #RSSQuestionsTeresa trended on Twitter and a lot of negative comments started pouring in against Dia, the actress tweeted, “The trolls are out and hard at work :).” [sic]She tweeted again in the morning (February 25, 2015), “My father was Catholic, my mother is a Bengali, I was raised by my Muslim step father and I'm married to a Hindu. I am Indian.”While Dia seems to be in no mood to budge, read on to know some lesser known facts about the actress...

Think of Dia Mirza and the memories of the Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein girl standing in the rain come forth. Exuding elegance and happiness, Dia Mirza has rarely made news for the wrong reasons. One of the most non-controversial diva of Bollywood, Dia is much more than just an actress. Here are some unknown facts about the actress.

While doing her graduation in Hyderabad, Dia Mirza began working as a marketing executive for a multimedia firm. She also started modelling for commercials and was seen in Lipton, Walls Ice Cream and Emami brand advertisements. She however could not complete her graduation due to beauty pageant, work and modeling assignments. But the diva has not fallen short of achievements and has quite a few awards in her kitty. Women's Achievement Award and The Sixth Geospa Asiaspa India Awards for Eco Crusader of the Year to name a few.

An achiever since the beginning, she went on to win the Miss Asia Pacific in 2000. She won the title the same year when her Bollywood contemporaries Lara Dutta won the Miss Universe title and Priyanka Chopra won the Miss World title. She was also declared Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Avon and Miss Close-Up Smile simultaneously. Dia Mirza was commemorated with the Great Women Achiever award for beauty in 2005.

Dia Mirza has lent her support to several causes including female foeticide and HIV awareness and has worked closely with the Andhra Pradesh government for the same. She is also an active member of the Cancer Patients Aid Association and adopts two to four cancer patients every year. The nature lover has also adopted two leopard cubs at the zoological park in Lucknow. This has earned her high reverence in the Indian film industry, but has also brought her several top honours including the Green Globe Honour for Extraordinary Work by a Public Figure, IIFA Green Award for Contribution Towards a Greener Environment and the Eco Crusader of the Year award by the The Sixth Geospa Asiaspa India Awards.

Dia Mirza along with Aamir Khan raised voice against the Sardar Sarovar Project which earned them the ire of BJP activists. She was lambasted by the BJP activists for supporting the Narmada Bachao Andolan and a protest march was also led against her. Dia Mirza had told PTI at a function, "People should also think about thousands who are getting displaced. Should Gujarat drink water at the cost of thousands of displaced people?" The BJP had accused her of not being aware of the importance of the project which claimed to solve the drinking water problem of Gujarat.

Dia Mirza is half German and half Bengali Hindu by genes and half Muslim by parentage. Dia Mirza uses her step-father's surname Mirza and has recently added the surname of her father Frank Handrich and is now called Dia Mirza Handrich. While her father was a German designer from Munich, her mother Deepa is an interior designer, landscaper and works as a volunteer to help alcoholics and addicts. Like her mom, Dia Mirza is also linked to several causes and is known for her social work.