Diana Penty: 'Chhaava's success took everyone by surprise, Cocktail did a business of over 100 crore back in 2012 and...'

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5 days ago

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the actress spoke about the prep for her character, the monstrous success of Chaavaa, working with Amitabh Bachchan in her next film titled Section 84, and the re-release of her debut Cocktail read more
In Zee5's film Detective Sherdil, Diana Penty brings a certain sense of gravitas to her performance with her no-nonsense attitude. She has been immensely selective about her choices of films after the impressive debut in Cocktail back in 2012. But that also shows how her repertoire is a cocktail of different genres, ranging from comedy to drama to now a whodunnit.
In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the actress spoke about the prep for her character, the monstrous success of Chaavaa, working with Amitabh Bachchan in her next film titled Section 84, and the re-release of her debut Cocktail.
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Edited excerpts from the interview
This is a no nonsense character that truly means business. What was your prep like as an actor?
My prep was mostly to be honest, I'm guessing you've seen the film. So you would know that there was a lot of sign language involved, which I was very new to. So that my prep was mostly doing sign language classes, just to understand the basics and, of course, specific to the film as well, all the dialogues that I needed to to know, in order to converse with Banita. So my prep was mostly that. And, of course, then with the director, we would do readings and discuss the character and how he wanted me to play certain scenes and and just to play the character in general.
Like you said, she was this no nonsense, pretty straightforward, pragmatic, person who was obviously good at her job, came in well prepared. So, just knowing these things and keeping them at the back of your mind, your subconscious kind of helps you to to play out the scene accordingly. So I think mostly besides the sign language classes, it was just discussions with the director. A lot of talking, a lot of discussing about the character, discussing scenes, and of course, doing a lot of reading. That was pretty much what we did.
You and Daljit kind of share a love hate relationship in the movie. It's like chalk and cheese. So how would you describe this dynamic between Natasha and Sherdil?
Chalk and cheese (smiles), like you said. But yes, they obviously don't get along. And it's also for the fun element of it. But, I think it's just that she's this no nonsense, wanting to get on with the job kind of person, and he's more like joking around and adding his two lines here and there, which I think kind of irritates her, oaks her a little bit. But other than that, I think they're a good team, and they work really well together. They've obviously worked on multiple cases together in the past as well. So, which is why, they were brought back to crack this case, because, obviously, the senior felt that the two of them make a good pair.
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So when you read the script, were you also excited to know as an actor who the culprit is, how it will all unfold?
I was. I really was, actually. And I kept going, reading the next page and the next page because I kept thinking, okay. Now we're going to find out something. Now we're going to and along the way, I realized that this story really keeps you at the edge of your seat because there are twists and turns that happen along the way and new things that get revealed along the way, but it's only right towards the end that you find out who exactly did it. But you're left guessing all through, which is great because as an audience, I think most of us when we're watching, like, who done it so you're already trying to do your own detective gear in your head and find and try to figure out whether you've guessed right or not. So I think this film kind of enables you to do that right till the very end.
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You and Boman Irani go a long way, much before Cocktail. What do you have to say about him because in this film, you both kind of have worked together, and yet you haven't. You don't have any scenes with him.
No. I actually don't. You're right. Of course, It didn't strike. It doesn't strike you because, obviously, the whole cast was present at the same time, and we were hanging out all the time after shooting and doing dinners and lunches together. So I did it. It actually didn't dawn on me until you just said that I was in the film, I didn't have any scenes with him, even though I spent so much time with him on the set. That's wow. It's like a realization. But Boman and I have a great equation. We go back a long way like you said. Not only was he part of my first film, which was really special, but, we also know each other personally from way back, from the time I was a kid. So, I have a lot of love and respect for him.
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Also, Diana, unlike a lot of other movies, the final twist in this film doesn't feel frivolous because I felt it kind of exposes the fragility of dysfunctional relationships. What was your take when you came to know who did it and why they did it?
My take again without revealing too much, was that it was a little surprising and shocking, but at the same time, I think it's more surprising and shocking when you think about it and realize that it is not far away from reality because these things do happen. And even though it's like, oh my god. I don't want to spoil this. It's like a little bit of a spoiler. Because everything I want to say maybe reveal some things. I don't want to do that.
Your film Chhaava is still the biggest hit of the year, and a lot of people are anticipating that it will remain the biggest hit of the year. So just a day before the release, were you expecting it to turn out to be such a massive monster?
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I don't think anyone was expecting it to turn out as monstrous as it turned out. I always had a feeling it would do well because it was an insightful film and it was very emotional. Vicky did a fab job and so did all the other actors. But I think it's taken everyone by surprise just how mammoth the film had turned out to be. And I think everyone's extremely grateful.
Also, Cocktail just re-released, so I want to take you back in time. What was going through your head on the night of 07/12/2012?
You know, because I was so new to this world, I didn't know what to expect. I had no idea. I was literally just a young girl who was a model and then who just happened to turn into an actor overnight literally or rather get her first acting job overnight. Then, of course, there was a lot of prep involved. But nobody prepared me for this part. Everyone's preparing you for the film and you're doing acting workshops and dance classes and then how to be on set and how to get more comfortable in front of the camera. All the prep is towards that aspect of the film, but not so much post shoot and pre release. So I think it was just all very overwhelming for me because I did not know what to expect. And then suddenly, this film just blew up, and it did really well and, which was great.
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I don't think anyone was expecting it to do as well as it did because for a rom-com in those days to make close to 100 crores in 2012 was insane. So it was just one of those surreal moments. You also want to read all the reviews and, of course, then get upset with the ones that don't like you. But, then get excited and happy with the ones that say nice things about you. And then there was also this other side to it, which was overnight; suddenly everybody knows who you are, from literally nobody knowing who you are.
You are suddenly propelled to this level of fame because I think even the songs did really well. So it was very overwhelming for me, especially given my personality back then. I feel like I'm way more outspoken and confident now. But at that time, when the film released, I was extremely quiet and shy, and then a full complete introvert. For me, this was just all a little too much to handle maybe, and I didn't know how to handle it. And that happened over a period of time.
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The choices you have made as an actor include Cocktail, Parmanu, Happy Bhaag Jaayegi, Chhaava, Detective Sherdil. It's a cocktail of all genres. Has this been a conscious decision that you have to try out new things as an actor and not just jump into all the offers that come your way?
Yes. It has very much been my conscious decision, and it feels good when people like you acknowledge that because sometimes the audience doesn't necessarily understand why one would do a certain film and why one wouldn't. In fact people judge you for doing certain parts. I want to do something challenging and different each time because what's the point of doing the same thing that I did before again?
I'll be able to do it maybe a little differently, but it's still pretty much the same space. So instead of that, why not choose something that challenges you a little bit or pushes you a little bit and shows you in a different light maybe? It's always been a conscious decision, which is why there is also the gap between Cocktail and Happy Bhaag Jaayegi because I was getting so many offers that were similar to Meera and Cocktail. And I said, 'But I've already done this. I mean, I've literally just done a whole film where I've played Meera.' Why would I play Meera again? A second and a third and a fourth time. So let me just wait and see if somebody is willing to offer me something different even though they've seen me as playing Meera, and they probably kind of stereotype me into that box.
Hopefully, there'll be a director or producer somewhere out there that might want to see me differently. I think it really paid off because Anand Rai and Muddassar Aziz were kind enough to offer me that part. And it was a very special part for me because, again, to be just so completely the opposite of Meera in a film, as my second film, that too. To play this happy, boisterous girl called Happy, was not only extremely challenging for me because, like I said, given my personality at that time, I was the opposite of her in real life. So when I was in the scenes, I had to actually in for me, in my head, I was screaming. But in terms of the character, that was how she normally spoke, like every day of her life.
But I had to actually scream in order to portray that because I'm a very soft spoken person. So it was very challenging for me, and that's what keeps it exciting. Because otherwise, you get set in doing the same thing and it can kind of get complacent as an actor as well. So I think it's important to do these different kinds of pros.
You have Section 84 coming up with Amitabh Bachchan. What can we expect?
It was a dream working with Mr. Bachchan and Ribhu Dasgupta. I'm really looking forward to that film. I get to play his daughter, which again was something that I've been manifesting. It's been my dream not only to work with Mr. Bachchan, but to play his daughter in a film. I don't know why it's always been something that I've thought of, and I was really lucky that it actually materialized. So I'm definitely looking forward to that. And I'm also looking forward to my first OTT show that's releasing by the end of this year. That'll be my debut on web series.