MUST PROVE TALENT TO GET NOTICED
...says Diana Penty, who has made a conscious effort to play different roles in different genres
Actor Diana Penty made a successful debut with the 2012 film Cocktail, took a three-year hiatus followed, and then came back with Happy Bhag Jayegi in 2016. The actor is well aware that it was a risk to remain missing from action for such a long time. However, she doesn’t regret it.
“I have my ways of going about things. A lot of people asked me ‘why I took so long to sign my second film’. I feel [for people] there’s a certain conventional method of going about things and somehow, I don’t follow it. This is my path, my journey, and that’s how I choose to grow,” says Diana, who was seen in Lucknow Central this year.
How did she make sure to not lose out on work? “I haven’t thought about it in the way that how I managed to bag such good roles despite not being in limelight. But I agree that you have to prove your talent, and only then, filmmakers get up, take notice and decide your fate on whether you can act. This automatically helps you get more work.”
The 32-year-old is quick to add that she still feels grateful for her debut film, as people remember her for it. “Cocktail was a great opportunity for a first-time actor; the perfect debut for anybody. I was lucky to have it, and that kept me going for a while. Because of that, a lot of people — who would have forgotten me now for being out of sight — still remembered me. And there were certain people who were keen on knowing what I did next,” she says.
What’s the point of doing the same thing over and over again? You can only play a certain character once... I want to experiment and push myself
DIANA PENTY ACTOR
The actor states that she always had “realistic expectations” from her career and that she never took success for granted.
It is important for the actor to do different kinds of characters. “I know it did take me a while in the beginning, but now, I have got the momentum and I don’t want that to stop. I’ve made a conscious effort to play different roles, and do different genre of films because that’s the way it’s challenging and keeps things exciting for me,” says Diana.
Presently, with two films in pipeline — Parmanu and Happy Bhag Jayegi Returns — Diana is content that she is getting to portray different characters onscreen. “What’s the point of doing the same thing over and over again? You can only play a certain character once and of course, there’ll be many more opportunities to play similar roles, but no two characters can ever be the same, just like no two stories can be the same. So, I want to experiment and push myself in whatever the limited time I have,” she adds.