Dia Mirza reveals rape scene in Kaafir left her physically shaking: 'I vomited after we finished filming that sequence'

Dia Mirza and Mohit Raina’s 2019 web series Kaafir has been re-released as a full-length feature film. Inspired by true events, the story centres on a Pakistani woman who inadvertently crosses the Line of Control and finds herself detained on the Indian side.

Dia Mirza recently reflected on her experience of portraying such a heart-wrenching character. She shared that one of the sensitive scenes in the film deeply affected her both mentally and physically.

In Kaafir, Dia takes on the role of Kainaaz Akhtar, a woman wrongly accused of being a militant and imprisoned in India along with her young daughter—born during her time behind bars. In an interview with News18, Dia recalled, “I remember when we shot the rape scene, it was so hard. I was shaking physically after we finished filming that scene. I remember throwing up. I vomited after we wrapped up that entire sequence. That’s how emotionally and physically demanding those situations were. When you take your entire body into the truth of that moment, you feel it—you feel it in its full extent.”
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Dia spoke about the emotional journey of inhabiting such a traumatic narrative and emphasised the importance of connecting deeply with the character to bring sincerity to the role. She shared that empathy is essential to portraying a character authentically, and explained that playing Kainaaz Akhtar made her emotionally experience motherhood even before becoming a mother herself, due to the deep connection and protective instincts she developed for the role.

The story of Kaafir is based on the real-life case of Shehnaaz Parveen, a Pakistani woman who was imprisoned in India for eight years after mistakenly entering the country. The film follows a journalist, portrayed by Mohit Raina, who sets out on a mission to help Kainaaz achieve justice and freedom.