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How Diana Penty accepted her first flop film
Diana saw her first failure at the box office with Lucknow Central
Actor Diana Penty finally has a much-needed hit, Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran in her hands, considering her last film Lucknow Central with Farhan Akhtar failed to create magic at the box office.
Asked how difficult it was for her to deal with her first failure, since her two first films in Bollywood — Cocktail (2012) and Happy Bhaag Jayegi (2016) — were also hits, Diana confesses, “I didn’t know the feeling (till then). I finally realised it… I think you kind of accept it after things don’t get better after Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Friday (the release day), there’s still a chance of improvement, but till Sunday, you realise this is pretty much the direction (film will take).
You can’t expect some drastic change, like a miracle happening, overnight! It’s important to accept it and deal with it graciously to move on to something next. You can’t dwell on it forever, and lose out on future work.”
Diana has only done lead roles till now in all her films. Is screen time an important factor for her to consider before signing a film? “Yes, it does matter,” she says, adding, “But if it is a story that’s really good, and worth telling, and my character has an important role to take the story forward, then I will consider even a small part. If nothing makes sense, then not.” The 32-year-old actor is known to keep a low-profile, with no aggressive public relationship manager putting out stories about her in media. Stories like Diana fighting with someone, or being spotted by paparazzi don’t circulate much. Is this guarded approach a conscious decision? “I’m active when it comes to work-related stuff, like attending an awards show, making appearances or film-related events. That’s the stuff that matters, because that’s my work. I want to be where my work is. But, you don’t have to be clicked when you’re shopping, right? That’s your personal space. Personal time means time-off. I want to respect that, as that is what keeps me sane and grounded,” Diana signs off.