Why Diana Penty Regrets Being The Way She Was?

Four years ago, after a dream debut and on the precipice of stardom, Diana Penty went off the radar. Now, better adjusted to fame—and with a risky second film—she’s back for the long haul, says Vatsala Chhibber

- Vatsala Chhibber

Fame demands a fair bit of homework. You have to invest in a trusted lipshade monitor, develop a radar for sly we-fies and you can never be too prepared for its dark side— interviews. Stumbling into the limelight without a warm-up can be awkward and overwhelming.Which is pretty much exactly how it happened for Diana Penty. First, her startlingly good looks were noticed by family friend and renowned photographer Farrokh Chothia, who insisted she face the camera. He promptly sent the pictures to the Elite model agency and then, after she’d quickly exhausted modelling options in the country and walked for two seasons of New York Fashion Week, her manager motioned at the incoming pile of film scripts. Penty ended up an actor.

Which means that now, she has to let strangers into her house and talk at length about her favourite holiday destination. Or why she picked that particular shade of red for her beauty kit. And on this sweaty summer evening, she must dig deep and tell me if she actually enjoys taking holidays with her mother. (She does.) And if she finds interviews tiresome. “I’m beginning to enjoy them now,” she says, after setting down a tray full of various snack options in her Byculla home. “Some people have the gift of the gab; I don’t. I’d rather be sitting quietly in a corner. I used to think a hundred times before I said anything, so I’d end up saying something really diplomatic that wouldn’t get me in trouble.”