Revealing The Act Of The Matter - Disha Patani

Hello! Discovers the bareilly girl who transformed into a Bollywood star in a manner that befits a film script... With a plot that just gets thicker!

- Sanghita Singh

When we meet Disha Patani at Mumbai’s Famous Studios, she’s dressed in chic athleisure wear. The heavy-duty designer clothes that have arrived for her photoshoot with HELLO! have turned out a tad loose. The team is in a tizzy – running from pillar to post to ensure the outfits fall in line with her lithe, tall frame. Disha is inspiringly patient, no starry tantrums. In fact, the star has brought her own dazzling reference for big hair, inspired by an international pop icon. She is equally enthusiastic about our choice for colour-popping eyeshadow – all a part of today’s visual tableau.

The chaos settles and she’s ready – the ease and humility of the simple girl we had met a little while ago, has transformed. It takes just a bit of make-up and couture for her to enter a different dynamic. She’s suddenly a high-wattage glamour icon; exuding a larger-than-life sensuality and self-assurance. Disha Patani is a natural, we discover, as our photographer Abhay Singh sets his frame. Warming up to our forest-like set, she exudes a feral magnetism too, uninhibited and open to his cues, while his delight with her virtuosity is obvious.

It is interesting how Disha’s past narrative belies the present which is unfolding in front of her. But she’s proved to be destiny’s preferred child. A shy, unsure girl, she shunned society and all things to do with the stage, consciously staying away from the trappings of anything that would draw attention towards her. “I was so shy. I had no friends till the eighth grade. I wouldn’t even talk to people. I never imagined being an actor – not even in my wildest dream,” says Disha, looking back at her life with a degree of amazement.