Diana Penty, who made her big Bollywood debut in 2012 with Cocktail alongside Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan, recently reflected on her journey in the industry. Despite her promising start, she took a four-year break before returning with Happy Bhag Jayegi in 2016. In a candid conversation with Hollywood Reporter India, Diana shared how people constantly advised her to change her personality if she wanted to survive in films.
She recalled, “I’ve always been a bit shy, a bit of an introvert, not much of a people’s person. So I tried to take their advice — be easier to talk to, walk into a room a certain way, say the right things. I attempted it, and after many years, I realised it was such an effort. It was exhausting to be somebody you’re not.”
Over the years, Diana has accepted her individuality and no longer feels the need to conform. “Eventually I was just like, screw that. I’m going to be me. Take it or leave it. If you don’t want to give me a film because of who I am, then it doesn’t matter how good an actor I am and that’s fine,” she added.
Now, Diana is set for her next project, the comedy series Do You Wanna Partner, directed by Archit Kumar and Collin D’Cunha under Dharmatic Entertainment. Starring alongside Tamannaah Bhatia, the show follows two friends launching a craft beer start-up in a male-dominated industry. Featuring Jaaved Jaaferi, Nakuul Mehta, Shweta Tiwari, Neeraj Kabi, Sufi Motiwala, and Rannvijay Singha, the series will stream on Prime Video from September 12.