Divya Dutta authors a book on mother-daughter ties

Actress Divya Dutta, who has proved her versatility in Bollywood over the years, has now also turned writer with her new book, Me & Ma. The book widely speaks about her bond with her mother.

She says, “I am considered a strong actor but that’s not how I was before. I was a normal girl. My mother instilled the confidence in me to be what I am today. I used to write columns for a newspaper, so my writing journey began a while ago. Writing helps you express yourself.”

So why did she choose her mother as a muse for the book? “I had a very unique bond with my mother. We were best friends. After I lost her, I wanted to share my journey with people; I just had to get it out. It’s about what impact a mother can have on a child. She allowed me to be an actor and stood by me, so it’s a emotional journey,” she added.

The insider-outsider dialogue in Bollywood has become more pronounced ever since the young crop of actors took over the screens. As an ‘outsider’ herself, Divya believes it’s all a matter of how you take things in your stride. “Even if you are not an outsider, you have to keep surviving it. I remember reading Sonu Sood’s interview where he said that it's not about ‘making it’; it's about surviving — that’s the difficult part. Even if you are proven as an actor, you need to keep finding yourself so that people have that surprise element in you.”

In her next film Irada,  Divya will be seen as a politician. She says, “I jumped when I heard the role. I loved the script and wanted to do something very different from what I have done before. This is very strong, yet a much layered role. As far as politics is concerned in real life I am not made for it. I think it’s peaceful just to be an actor and play different roles.”