Divya Dutta on turning a year older today: Don't keep yourself second at any point, pamper yourself, you deserve it

Actor Divya Dutta talks about celebrating her birthday today on September 25, her Bollywood friends circle, and more.

Published on: Sep 25, 2025, 09:01:20 IST

By Rishabh Suri

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Divya Dutta hopes she gets an off today from work, to ring in her birthday the way she prefers: with her loved ones, at home.

“I have been shooting in Rishikesh. But the one birthday ritual I love is to have the family home. I tell everyone ‘listen, if I am back home from work even for half a day, I want to spend quality time with you’ Half of the time I am with my brother, then with my bhabhi and her friends. That feeling of being pampered is very nice, and important. It’s a special day for me, and all my friends know this. It’s sweet 16 for me,” chuckles Divya, who will be seen next in a host of films, including one with Manoj Bajpayee.

Also read: Divya Dutta reveals why she doesn't want to get married despite ‘a lot' of male attention: ‘I think I’m overqualified’

Hitting 48 today, we ask what is it that keeps Divya motivated to keep moving ahead in life with the same zest. Does the number on the board slow her down in any manner, or prohibit her from pampering herself?

“I think it’s the mental frame of mind. When you are constantly doing something, reinventing yourself, you don’t stay in the same phase where you feel low. Mera mere friends group mein mazaak udta hai ‘yeh tikti toh hai nahi!’ So I like it that way. But the thing is amidst those busy schedules, you have got to thank yourself. We underestimate a word called gratitude… towards everyone else, yes, but even towards yourself. ‘Me time’ where you pamper yourself for working hard should not be underestimated. Don’t keep yourself second. Jab khud ko khush rakhoge tabhi doosron ko khush rak paaoge,” says the actor.

Divya is part of a friend group which consists of actors such as Shabana Azmi, Urmila Matondkar, Vidya Balan, and many more. Do they make it a point to be there for her special day? “We are all globe trotting. Recently it was Shabana ji’s 75th birthday, so everyone manoeuvres plans according to all this. But the beauty is, when the 10-11 of us probably are not available together, whoever is, we all try meeting. We play it by the ear, and these impromptu plans turn out to be the most cathartic,” she ends.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rishabh Suri
Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.Read More

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