It has taught me to embrace a challenge: Dia Mirza

Over the years, several stars from Bollywood have tried their hand at Bengali cinema. And Dia Mirza is happy that the industry there has perceived her as someone who has perfected the Bengali accent on the big screen.

Speaking about her recent Bengali release Paanch Adhay, the actress says, "Paanch Adhay has taught me to embrace a challenge in a whole new manner. Bengali isn't my first language. The Bangla film industry and the culture were fairly alien to me and yet the script and the director were calling out to me.

My hunch... my recognition of what may be a rewarding risk to take has only got better. The film allows me once again to believe in what has always been the key to an engaging film a good simple story that is relevant, real and poignant."

Dia, who is half-Bengali by birth, feels that language is no impediment when it comes to cinema. The actress says, "Language eventually is no barrier, if the craft of the storyteller is sound. Then he or she will capture your imagination. I can see that the Bengali film industry is succeeding in doing so at an increasing rate."

Post her film Kahaani, Vidya Balan's popularity in Kolkata has just been on the rise. In fact, the actress had marked her big screen debut with the Bengali film Bhalo Theko. No wonder that a pujo pandal in Kolkata adorned the actress' photograph in all the fineries fit for the Goddess. Bah, ki daroon!u00a0