Dia Mirza has recalled the financial risks she took to produce Bobby Jasoos, revealing that she secured a bank loan and mortgaged her home after studios and financiers backed away from the Vidya Balan-led film.
Dia Mirza Says Financiers Walked Away From Bobby Jasoos
Actor and producer Dia Mirza has opened up about the challenges she encountered while producing Bobby Jasoos, a women-led film starring Vidya Balan.
Speaking on the SheThePeople podcast, Dia recalled that the project initially appeared to have strong foundations. Vidya had committed her dates, the creative team was in place and the actor had delivered successful films at the box office.
However, according to Dia, the financing situation changed unexpectedly.
“We got these dates from an extraordinary artist who I respected and loved — Vidya Balan. The whole team had been put together. And some of Vidya’s films had worked at the box office. Suddenly, studios and financers disappeared,” she recalled.
The setback left the production team facing a difficult choice: either find another way to finance the project or abandon the film.
Dia Mirza Mortgaged Her Home to Make the Film
Dia said she was determined to complete the project because she believed strongly in its story.
With conventional financing no longer available, she decided to take a bank loan and use her home as collateral.
“The team was like, ‘How can we make it? We don’t have money.’ So, I took a bank loan, and I mortgaged my home, and we made the film,” Dia said.
She explained that the decision was driven by her belief in the story and the importance of bringing the project to audiences.
“It was to be able to tell the story that I wanted to tell because the film had been written. It’s such a beautiful film, and it has one of Vidya’s best performances,” she added.
Why Dia Mirza Refused to Cut Vidya Balan’s Fee
Dia also highlighted another decision she made during the production.
Rather than asking Vidya to reduce her remuneration because of the film’s financial difficulties, Dia said she chose to pay the actor what she described as one of the best salaries of her career.
“She was carrying the film. The whole film was centred on her, and I think it’s so important to recognise that if a male counterpart were doing the same, we would pay him handsomely. So, why not pay our women handsomely?” Dia said.
For Dia, the decision was part of a broader belief that female-led films and the women driving them should be valued appropriately.
The production also strengthened her relationship with Vidya, with Dia saying she gained a lifelong friend through the experience.
Dia Mirza and Vidya Balan’s Professional Association
Dia and Vidya had previously appeared in films including Parineeta and Lage Raho Munna Bhai, although they did not share scenes in those projects.
Their collaboration on Bobby Jasoos brought them together more directly, with Vidya taking on the central role and Dia serving as producer.
Directed by Samar Shaikh, Bobby Jasoos follows Bobby, an ambitious woman determined to establish herself as a detective.
Vidya’s performance required her to inhabit a character who takes on different disguises while pursuing her unconventional career ambitions.
Dia Mirza’s Journey as a Producer
Dia began her production career with Love Breakups Zindagi in 2011.
Her work as a producer has included projects across film and streaming, with Bobby Jasoos becoming one of the more notable examples of her commitment to female-led storytelling.
She later produced the streaming comedy series Mind the Malhotras in 2019.
Looking back at Bobby Jasoos, Dia’s account highlights the financial uncertainty that can surround films led by women and the personal risks she was willing to take to complete a project she believed in.
