Divya Dutta’s 3-Release Year That Changed Everything

For years, Divya Dutta has been the actor you go to when you need a scene lifted — a supporting turn that makes someone else’s film better. In 2026, the frame has changed. Chiraiya, Last Man in Tower and Gajab Raat have arrived back to back, and Dutta is now the one carrying the story.

A year of leading roles

In an exclusive conversation with Filmfare, Dutta said the script of Chiraiya left her spellbound. She found the subject so absorbing that she took her time before saying yes, and she is happy the show has connected as strongly as it has.

For Gajab Raat, she reunited with director Neeraj Pandey, whose work she first did in Special 26. Dutta says she now takes his calls with a grin because she knows something interesting is on the way — and she often prefers not to know the full shape of a role before shooting.

Manoj Bajpayee, three times over

This year also became a working reunion with Manoj Bajpayee. Dutta calls their run a hat-trick: after Last Man in Tower and Gajab Raat, they moved on to Gandhi together.

She describes Bajpayee as effortless and nurturing on set. One memory from Last Man in Tower stands out: the crew was shooting on a third floor with no lift, and Bajpayee kept walking down between scenes to cook for the unit before coming back up to shoot intense material with her. For Dutta, that warmth is exactly what shows up in their scenes.

Why Chiraiya changed the game

Asked which project altered her career, Dutta points to Veer-Zaara (2004), Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) and Badlapur (2015) as milestones. But she is clear: Chiraiya is the one that changed how the industry sees her.

After it, she says, the “commercial aspect” attached itself to her work. Brands started calling, and casting conversations shifted. Her National Award had already changed the roles she was offered — earlier she heard she was “a sweet face” and couldn’t play negative parts, and after it people said she could.

Lessons she carries

• Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, on Delhi-6: step aside and let the character take over.
• Shah Rukh Khan, on Veer-Zaara: find the camera, not the star.
• Shyam Benegal, at 17: trust yourself enough to choreograph your own dance.
• Yash Chopra, on the Veer-Zaara set: a sync-sound monologue in one take, and a hug after.

The Veer-Zaara memory is still vivid. Dutta says she had to pinch herself to believe she was on Yash Chopra’s set, and she was nervous about nailing a long monologue without dubbing. She delivered it in one go.

Being ‘consistently good’

Dutta also addresses the backhanded side of praise. For a while, she says, people treated her as “consistently good,” so nobody felt the need to celebrate the work. That, she admits, pinches — actors need validation. Her response has been to keep challenging herself and to keep proving herself in an industry that rarely lets performers stop.

Source: Filmfare

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#Bollywood interviews#Chiraiya#Divya Dutta#Gajab Raat#Last Man in Tower#Manoj Bajpayee#Neeraj Pandey#Veer-Zaara