Divya Dutta, who is known for her role as Shabbo, Preity Zinta’s friend in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘Veer Zaara,’ shared an interesting anecdote during a recent interview. She revealed that when initially approached by Yash Chopra for the film, she had assumed she would be playing the role of Zaara. However, fate had other plans, and she ended up portraying the character of Shabbo in the movie.
Reflecting on how she landed the role of Shabbo in ‘Veer Zaara,’ Divya told Bollywood Bubble that she had dreamt about being a Yash Chopra heroine, draped in chiffon sarees.Recounting her auditions, she expressed her desire to work with Yash ji as a leading lady. She then recalled receiving a call while in London, summoning her to meet Yash ji and Aditya Chopra. During the meeting, they revealed their project ‘Veer Zaara,’ yet in her mind, she already had herself as Zaara.
Recalling the narration, she expressed being mesmerized by the story, particularly with Shah Rukh Khan’s involvement, feeling it was the perfect fit. The collaboration of Shah Rukh, Yash Chopra, and Aditya’s writing exceeded her expectations. When they mentioned the star-studded cast, including Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Kirron Kher, and Boman Irani, she couldn’t help but question, “Excuse me, what am I doing here?”
Then he said, ‘I want you to do Shabbo’s part, who is Zaara’s friend,’ and she didn’t say anything. She thought that if you play a friend’s role, people might always see you as just the friend of the main character, which she didn’t want. So, she didn’t respond. But then Aditya said, ‘If anyone else could have played this role, we wouldn’t have asked you,’ which was a big compliment. He also said, ‘Remember my words, you will be remembered for this role forever.’
When she got home, she told her mom about not getting the main role. Her mom asked if anyone else was making a movie with her, but she said no. Her mom mentioned they didn’t have money for a film and she didn’t have powerful connections. She asked how long she would wait and if she was confident in her acting. She replied no. Then her mom said, “Give your all to this role. Show everyone how talented you are, so they’ll want you in their movies.”
Divya mentioned that after accepting the role, she noticed many of her peers taking on similar supporting roles. For them, whether they played the lead or a side character didn’t seem to matter. However, at the time, it meant a lot to her.
She expressed that during that period, there was uncertainty about how to label her, and it used to irk her when people referred to her as a ‘supporting actor’. She would insist that they simply call her an actor because she portrayed a wide range of roles, including lead roles, comedic characters, and even antagonists.
Reflecting on how she landed the role of Shabbo in ‘Veer Zaara,’ Divya told Bollywood Bubble that she had dreamt about being a Yash Chopra heroine, draped in chiffon sarees.Recounting her auditions, she expressed her desire to work with Yash ji as a leading lady. She then recalled receiving a call while in London, summoning her to meet Yash ji and Aditya Chopra. During the meeting, they revealed their project ‘Veer Zaara,’ yet in her mind, she already had herself as Zaara.
Recalling the narration, she expressed being mesmerized by the story, particularly with Shah Rukh Khan’s involvement, feeling it was the perfect fit. The collaboration of Shah Rukh, Yash Chopra, and Aditya’s writing exceeded her expectations. When they mentioned the star-studded cast, including Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Kirron Kher, and Boman Irani, she couldn’t help but question, “Excuse me, what am I doing here?”
Then he said, ‘I want you to do Shabbo’s part, who is Zaara’s friend,’ and she didn’t say anything. She thought that if you play a friend’s role, people might always see you as just the friend of the main character, which she didn’t want. So, she didn’t respond. But then Aditya said, ‘If anyone else could have played this role, we wouldn’t have asked you,’ which was a big compliment. He also said, ‘Remember my words, you will be remembered for this role forever.’
When she got home, she told her mom about not getting the main role. Her mom asked if anyone else was making a movie with her, but she said no. Her mom mentioned they didn’t have money for a film and she didn’t have powerful connections. She asked how long she would wait and if she was confident in her acting. She replied no. Then her mom said, “Give your all to this role. Show everyone how talented you are, so they’ll want you in their movies.”
Divya mentioned that after accepting the role, she noticed many of her peers taking on similar supporting roles. For them, whether they played the lead or a side character didn’t seem to matter. However, at the time, it meant a lot to her.
She expressed that during that period, there was uncertainty about how to label her, and it used to irk her when people referred to her as a ‘supporting actor’. She would insist that they simply call her an actor because she portrayed a wide range of roles, including lead roles, comedic characters, and even antagonists.
From Sussanne Khan to Divya Dutta, celebs clicked at an event in Mumbai
