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Diana Penty on the pressure to always look on point: It gets exhausting

Actor Diana Penty, last seen in Chhaava, says she has come a long way - from constantly feeling the pressure to look perfect to now embracing her own choices.

Updated on: Jun 18, 2025, 10:41:46 IST
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Having spent 13 years in showbiz, actor Diana Penty has realised that unlike earlier, looking good all the time is not something she cares about anymore. While the pressure is real for public figures, Diana, who is set to foray into the OTT space soon, says she has stopped worrying about being “perfectly turned out and camera-ready”.

Diana Penty poses for HT City Showstoppers
Diana Penty poses for HT City Showstoppers

“There used to be a lot of pressure in the beginning to always look on point. But over time, it gets exhausting. So at some point, you learn to make peace with the fact that you can’t always be dressed to the nines, and that’s okay,” says the actor, adding that even fans “appreciate that realness”. “It’s refreshing for them to see actors in their natural state with no makeup or hair done, just being themselves,” says the 39-year-old.

What she likes to focus on more now is working on projects that further her skills as an actor. Last seen in Chhaava as Zinat-un-Nissa Begum (Aurangzeb’s sister), Diana says, “While my part was relatively small, it was very meaningful. The character had a quiet strength - there wasn’t much said in words, but there was a lot communicated through presence and silences. That was an interesting space to explore as an actor. When a film does well, it uplifts everyone associated with it.”

  • Rishabh Suri
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Rishabh Suri

    Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.Read More