Long before she stepped into the public eye, actor Dia Mirza Rekhi’s earliest lessons in style and substance came from her mother, Deepa. An interior designer with a deep appreciation for Indian textiles and mindful living, Deepa is also driven by a strong sense of social responsibility. She created a world for her daughter where beauty and responsibility coexisted. This Mother’s Day, Dia talks to HT City and reflects on everything she inherited from her mother.
A timeless inheritance
Dia shares, “My sense of style comes entirely from my mother. I grew up looking at her with deep fascination and admiration — not just for the clothes she wore, but for the choices she made. Her wardrobe was modest, but every piece carried meaning, beauty and history. She took immense pride in collecting Indian weaves and supporting Indian textiles and craftsmanship. Much of my understanding of sustainability and the importance of preserving traditional weaves comes from her."
Draped in memory
Much of what Dia absorbed early on came through what her mother wore and what she chose to preserve. The actor said, “There are many beautiful photographs my father took of my mother in flowing kaftans with block prints, mirror work and intricate Kutch embroidery. She wore them with such grace and ease, and those images have stayed with me forever. What moved me most was the way she treasured what had been passed down to her. Today, I have inherited many of those pieces. I’ve restored several of them and worn them for important moments in my life.”
{{/usCountry}}Much of what Dia absorbed early on came through what her mother wore and what she chose to preserve. The actor said, “There are many beautiful photographs my father took of my mother in flowing kaftans with block prints, mirror work and intricate Kutch embroidery. She wore them with such grace and ease, and those images have stayed with me forever. What moved me most was the way she treasured what had been passed down to her. Today, I have inherited many of those pieces. I’ve restored several of them and worn them for important moments in my life.”
{{/usCountry}}A life of conscious choices
At home, the choices went much beyond inheriting just a timeless sense of style. Reflecting on her mother's deeply conscious way of living, Dia says, "She would carry gunny bags and baskets for buying groceries, so nothing came wrapped in plastic. This was long before sustainability became a buzzword. Even our water bottles were repurposed glass bottles. I grew up watching her plant trees, tend to her garden and speak lovingly to her plants. Nature was woven into the way we lived every day.”
Looking back, she said this consciousness trickled down into other aspects of her life: “She taught me that beauty and responsibility can coexist very naturally.”
The first time she wore her mom’s saree
Dia shares a fond memory from her childhood. “I would play teacher-teacher as a little girl of eight or nine. I would gently pull out my favourite sari from her cupboard,” she says. What began as childhood play slowly became something more real, more defining: “Years later, when I started working at 16, I began wearing many of her cotton sarees to work. They made me feel grown-up and ready to take on the world. And in many ways, wearing them made me feel closer to her.”
How her mother shaped her life
Beyond her work as a designer, Deepa also volunteers to support those struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. This influence has deeply shaped Dia’s values and sense of purpose. The 44-yer-old shares, “My mother is the kindest person I have ever known. She worked throughout her life and lived it with great consciousness and purpose. So much of who I am today — the choices I make, the values I hold, and the way I try to move through the world - has been shaped by her influence and inspired by the life she has lived.”