Model-turned-actress Dia Mirza`s Bollywood career spans around two decades, in the course of which she has appeared in over 40 films. She first won the hearts of millions courtesy of a stellar debut in the romantic drama Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, where she starred alongside R. Madhavan and Saif Ali Khan. Though the film failed to make an impact at the box office, Dia received the Best Debutant accolade at several prestigious film award functions that year. In the years that followed, the former winner of Miss Asia Pacific title appeared in movies like Dum (2003), Tehzeeb (2003), Pran Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye (2003) and Parineeta (2005), which were well-received by the critics.
In the latter half of 2000s, the actress was seen primarily in supporting roles in films such as Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), Krazzy 4 (2008) and Kurbaan (2009). Subsequently, she ventured into production and co-founded the production company Born Free Entertainment, which has so far given us films like Love Breakups Zindagi (2011) and Bobby Jasoos (2014). Following a long hiatus, Dia made a comeback to acting with the biographical drama Sanju (2018), which was written and directed by Rajkumar Hirani. Based on the life of Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, the film featured Ranbir Kapoor in the titular role with Dia essaying the role of Manyata Dutt. Her 2020 release includes Thappad, directed by Anubhav Sinha.