I will never judge a beauty pageant: Diana Penty

Diana Penty says she will never be able to judge girls on the basis of their looks and body type.

It took over three years for Diana Penty to choose her second film, Happy Bhag Jayegi after the much appreciated debut in Cocktail. While she does agree that it wasn’t the most ideal choice for a newcomer to be away for so long, she was also clear that she didn’t want to take up any role that came her way.

Diana Penty says she never gets jealous of an actor’s success.(HT Photo)

Talking about it, she says, “A lot of people thought it was a break, but I don’t think that was it. I am not from this industry so when Cocktail happened out of the blue, I was technically not prepared for being an actor and doing all that it comes with. Cocktail changed my entire life. I was getting accustomed to the change and then I was travelling. I was also reading scripts but nothing really struck a chord with me so I didn’t want to do something for the heck of it. It didn’t happen until HBJ was offered to me.” Now she is gearing up for her next film with Farhan Akhtar, Lucknow Central.

Though Diana was a successful model before she made her foray into films, she is very clear that she will never judge a beauty pageant. She thinks that this craze for the perfect body with young girls is unhealthy. “Young girls who are influenced by our bodies, need to know that this not how we wake up. At home, we look normal and we are not dolled up all the time. We go through two hours of make-up and then you have perfect lights and ace photographers who know about their angles.

“And then, don’t forget photo shop, where bodies are shrinked a little or given a little curve somewhere. So what you are seeing is not the truth. It is just so important for girls to know that because this is what they think they need to look like every day in life. Nobody can be so perfect. That’s one reason I never judge beauty pageants because I don’t think it is right to pick one girl over the other on the basis of looks.”

Diana also thinks competition between actors is overrated and says that though there are films that surprise you and blow your mind, she isn’t the jealous co-worker type of a person. “Of course, there will be films that will always leave you surprised and you might think, ‘Wow, what a fabulous film’, but that’s about it. I don’t wish you did that role. There is no jealousy. Competition for me is with yourself and for yourself. You are trying to better yourself each time and up your own game. So what is it got to do with anybody else’s career? At least that’s the way I look at it.

“If I meet people at an event or an award ceremony, and I really like their work, I am that kind of a person that will go out of my way to appreciate someone. It’s a nice thing to do, right? How does undermining someone else’s talent benefit you? Other people doing well don’t take away from my work.”