Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Diana Penty might be an incidental introvert in the boisterous world of Indian cinema but her compelling onscreen presence proves she isn’t one to get lost in the crowd.

- Tanya Mehta

On an idle weekend, I decided to immerse myself in some teenage nostalgia and re-watch Mean Girls – a cult chick-flick of our times. While the film explores the complexities of female friendships and the euphoria of high-school popularity, it made me question my own reclusive nature. Then I met our cover girl, Diana Penty who tells me she didn’t know how to deal with her initial streak of fame. Instead of bolting into new-fangled narcissism she stayed cooped up at home for a few weeks until she learnt how to handle her newly found fame. I instantly felt a wave of relief coupled with endearment. There are several factors that make Penty amicable; for starters she remains grounded despite gracing international runways and playing muse to several designers. “I’m the only child, I was always extremely reserved, and modelling was such a far-fetched concept while growing up. I’ve had a very regular upbringing in Bombay and went on to study Mass Media in college. I come from a family of photographers; my uncle Denzel was a fashion photographer back in the day so I was used to watching models darting in and out of his studio but never considered it as a potential career choice for myself.”