Dia Mirza celebrates as 'Kaafir' turns one

It's been a year since actor-producer Dia Mirza played one of her careers "most challenging roles" in the web series "Kaafir". She believes that the message of humanity overcoming conflict in the series bears relevance in everything the world is going through right now.

"I think art has always found a way to transcend fear and prejudice and helped reunite our hearts and emotions seamlessly. We cannot allow fear to take away from ourselves and our communities. 'Kaafir' is more than the touching stories it tells. It's a constant reminder that the universe is limitless and meant for everyone," Dia said.

"Kaafir" was praised for its moving storyline written by Bhavani Iyer, empathetic direction by Sonam Nair, and the impressive performance delivered by Dia, alongside her co-actors Mohit Raina and Dishita Jain.

Dia played the part of Kainaaz Akhtar, an imprisoned Pakistani woman.

"Kainaaz was a tough part to get into the skin of because she belongs to a world where her life experiences are so removed from my life experiences. I consider myself an empowered, independent woman whereas Kainaaz is spirited but comes from such a background of conflict and disempowerment that it was so important for me to understand the mindscape and the landscape of her journey," Dia said.

A cross-border struggle, "Kaafir" follows Kainaaz's long and tumultuous journey as she winds up on the Indian side of the Line of Control and is held prisoner in a strange land under the suspicion of being a terrorist from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Reminiscing about the intense preparation that went into the role, she said: "I got time to do readings with the entire cast and the director, the writer. And the time spent in investing and understanding the character and the story, deeply, served the effort well because this is not the kind of role one can act in, this is the kind of role one needed to just become the part."