Mia Maelzer doesn’t speak in headlines. Her words arrive measuredly, always with intention—like someone who has done the work before saying a word. In Stolen, the highway thriller on streaming that unfolds in the margins of a missing child case, Maelzer plays Jhumpa, a migrant worker who's mother caught in a moment of unbearable loss. But what lingers long after the film ends is not her breakdown—it’s her refusal to be reduced by it.
An NSD graduate, a casting director, and an acting coach to some of the most visible names in contemporary Indian cinema, Maelzer has built a career by staying outside the noise and going deep instead. Here, she speaks about the rigour of director Karan Tejpal's debut feature Stolen that stars Abhishek Banerjee, why she doesn’t believe in the term “parallel cinema,” and how growing up on Smita Patil and Judi Dench shaped the actor she’s becoming.
How did you come aboard Stolen?
It was through a phone call from Dilip Shankar sir, actually. He’s a casting director—international, and he’s worked on a lot of Indian and international projects. He’s also a professor; he used to be a visiting faculty at the National School of Drama, where he taught us.
One day, he just called me and said that two young boys would be coming to visit me at home with a script. He felt I should read it and think about whether it excited me. So they came to my home in Jaipur and narrated the script to me. It was actually conceived as a one-take film. That idea really excited me.
Because I’m trained in theatre at NSD, they were looking for actors who could pull off that kind of performance—something that required a lot of rehearsals and technical precision.
What kind of preparation went into a film like this?
When the script came to me, it wasn’t fully fleshed out. The characters were quite sketchy. But we had long discussions over a few weeks. I also went to visit places where women like the one I was portraying could be found. I went to the Sundarbans delta—very close to that area.
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I already work closely with a lot of documentary filmmakers, so I had some idea about where these things happen in India. There were a couple of places Karan also told me about. Initially, the character wasn’t even from Bengal, but I suggested we fix a specific region. I needed to give her a background—her language, her habits, her fear, her politics, everything.
We eventually settled on South Bengal, near the delta. I met a few mothers there. I think the research was the core of my preparation. The rest of it—physicality, body work, classes—that’s something I do for every role.
Karan and Gaurav told me you spent months researching and working with real individuals like the one you play. It really showed. But what ultimately motivated you to say yes to the script, especially since it was quite rough in the beginning?
See, everything that’s happening in the film is something we already know about. Stolen isn’t showing us anything radically new. We consume this kind of news every day.
What’s new is that we made a film out of that news. And what excited me was the perspective—that we are seeing these events through a very close lens. In the news, we don’t really connect with the person involved. But the film gave me that opportunity—to embody that mother, to claim her agency.
Usually, we don’t grant that kind of agency to women who come from such backgrounds. They’re not part of the market, not pushing themselves into visibility. And we tend to portray them only as victims. But I wasn’t interested in playing a woman who is just poor and helpless. People also rise out of it. That’s what made the film compelling.
You’ve worked as a casting director and acting coach—Beyond the Clouds (2017) being a breakout project. What was it like working with Majid Majidi?
Yes, that’s how most people in the industry first got to know me. It was Mr Majid Majidi’s first film in India, and I was the acting coach—specifically for the children and women I was casting.
It was a long process and a fantastic experience. I call it my film school—even though I’ve already spent a lot of time in film schools. But working directly with Mr Majidi was very special. I reported directly to him, and also to Honey Trehan, who brought me into the project through NSD connections.
I also acted in the film. So there were days when I was in costume, walkie-talkie clipped to my pyjama, headphones on—doing everything from casting to coaching while performing as well. It was fun.
That project also introduced me to Bombay’s cinema circles. Ishaan was wonderful to work with. We had great chemistry and would walk together into the alleys of Dharavi while working with the kids. He’s one of the most hardworking young actors I’ve met.
What do you make of the shrinking space and screens for independent or “middle-of-the-road” cinema, especially with the rise of franchise and superhero films globally?
I’d first like to address the phrase “parallel cinema.” I grew up in a very film-centric home, and I don’t really see cinema in boxes. Sure, there are industry categories, but as a consumer, I don’t differentiate like that.
I’ll happily watch One Piece one day and The Braid the next—The Braid being one of my internationally acclaimed films. If something’s engaging me, I watch it. If not, I move on. So I don’t feel threatened.
Even franchise films can be great if they’re well-researched and well-acted. Cinema is a big medium. It takes money. If I had the money, I’d love to make films with full freedom. But that’s a privilege. We can’t always afford that. What matters is the story and how it’s told. I’m only threatened when the script is bad.
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That’s a refreshing take, because genuinely strong independent films are increasingly struggling to get screens. Do you think there’s an issue with what is being released widely?
I’ll be very frank. A lot of films that get screen access through multiplexes are not really focused on storytelling. They’re focused on advertising impact. They’re packaged products built around brand collaborations—big designers, car brands, hotels, line producers.
They’re not films, in the sense we think of films. They’re lookalikes of films. But that’s not to say mainstream cinema can’t produce great work. When a Dharma or YRF or Bhansali film has a good script, it’s excellent cinema. I love those films too. They’re not always thinking about collaborations—they’re making some really fantastic work. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films are like textbooks to me.
Take Barbie—look at a company like Mattel, which is primarily an advertising firm, but they focused on crafting something with a solid script. Whether or not the film worked for everyone, that effort matters. We need scripts like that.
Could you share some of your acting influences? Whose work has stayed with you over the years?
So many. Internationally, I’ve loved Judi Dench since I was very young. And Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton, of course.
At home, Chhaya Devi was someone my grandmother introduced me to. Smita Patil is someone I’ve studied closely. Seema Biswas, Rekha, Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das—I really admire them. I recently shared screen space with Nandita in a film, though we didn’t have scenes together. I’m looking forward to that release.
I also admire Alia Bhatt a lot. I watch all her work. She invests herself deeply in every role. Her performances really speak to me.
What are you working on next?
I’ve just completed two films. One is an American film shot in Telugu in Khoya. The other is a short, shot in Bihar in Maithili. Both are in post-production, with some patchwork pending. I’m also writing and always on the lookout for the right script and team. And I’m fighting hard to bring The Braid to India. It’s one of my favorite projects as a viewer and actor.