Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; December 24, 2017)

Brought up in the bylanes of the scenic, old-world Byculla, Diana Penty loves the hustle and bustle of the crowded, colourful and busy bazaars of Bandra. That is one of the reasons we took her to this lively neighbourhood to shop for some Christmas decorations, followed by a visit to Mount Mary Church. On Christmas Eve, the actress takes BT down memory lane. Excerpts:

When you walk past markets and churches decked up for Christmas, what thoughts run through your mind?
I have memories of the time when I was younger and when I believed in Santa Claus, which was the best part of Christmas. Back then, I wrote to Santa every year, hoping that my mom would post the letter with a stamp to the North Pole! Magically, almost every wish of mine was fulfilled. I’d get my gifts under the tree and I used to wonder how Santa figured these things for so many people. Essentially, Christmas has always been about spending time with family. We had one big lunch filled with banter, warmth, laughter and great food. Doing up the tree with my mom was another fun exercise. We also made sweets like kalkals together. It was a three-four day run-up. As a child, I also remember attending Midnight Mass with my mom and dad (even though he wasn’t a Christian) every year.

Do you make time for such celebrations now?
I haven’t done most of these things in a long time and it’s sad, but I don’t remember if I have ever worked on Christmas. Since making sweets with my mother is one of the fondest memories I have, there’s a part of me that misses all this because that’s the spirit of the festival. The countdown to the big day made it all so exciting. It’s all kind of lost today because we are all over the place. For some years now, during Christmas and also Easter, we travel to Goa.

So, is the party at home this time around?
Yeah, maybe. We’ll do something small and intimate. Nothing hectic; just some good food, barbeque, and music with friends and family.

How much have celebrations at home changed after you grew up?
After getting gifts from Santa, I’ve now become one for many people (laughs). I actually preferred it the other way around. But it is fun being a Santa to someone. Everything changes with time. As a kid, there’s so much innocence attached to the celebrations. When you grow up, life makes you so busy that you completely lose the excitement around a festival. The build-up to it is often lost and it just comes and goes by…


Have you ever played Secret Santa?
I have played Secret Santa. It’s just that I have not done it with my team or my friends in a very long time. I see everyone around me talking about it.

If you could ask Santa for three wishes, what would they be?
Now that I am all grown up and done asking for toys and bicycles, I’ll ask Santa for a mature gift, like good work in the year ahead. Interestingly, I remember I signed Lucknow Central on Christmas last year. They got the contract home. I met Nikkhil Advani just four days before that. The whole year since then went by shooting for films back to back. I just want more of that and good health, peace and prosperity for everyone I love.

This year actually turned out to be an exceptionally busy one for you professionally, after very long.
I shot for three films. I believe in the magical energies that surround us all the time. It’s significant in a way that I signed a film on the day of the festival. I am happy that a year like this happened. And now, I don’t want to lose this momentum. It’s come after a long wait. I mean whenever there are films offered, one always has an ounce of doubt but when Parmanu, Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi and Lucknow Central came to me, I didn’t have any doubt. Everything felt right about these films.

You’ve been a part of the industry for a few years now, but we haven’t seen you attending any Bollywood bashes during the festive season...
That’s a personality thing. I am quiet and reserved. I like doing things I am comfortable with. It’s not like I am not socially present, but maybe, I’ll do it more often in 2018. Come to think of it, I was very new to the industry a few years ago. As an outsider, I slowly got to know people. Now, I am comfortable and I have friends. I feel more like a part of the industry. Now, it comes from within to go out and socialise with people I know, or have worked with and haven’t met in a while. In the past, I was very skeptical about how I would go about doing this.

Would you invite your Bollywood friends to your house, maybe for an extended Christmas celebration?
I hope I have made that many friends. I mean, it would be terrible if I haven’t made any. And I hope they come if I extend an invitation. I always think, ‘What if I am the only one at my party?’ What if people tell me, ‘You live in SoBo, it’s too far’? But jokes aside, next year, I want to invite people over because I love hosting at home. It’s great to have friends over and I prefer that to a party at some nightspot. Dressing up and all the jazz around it is too much effort. I prefer chilling at home, calling friends, sitting in pyjamas and talking.

If you could choose one person from the industry as your Santa Claus, who would that be?
I would choose Aanand L Rai as my Santa as he’s gentle-faced, generous and cool. I can imagine calling him and asking, ‘Hey, Aanand ‘Santa’ Rai, can I please have a film?’ He’s the first person who comes to my mind, as he has Santa-like qualities. Trust me, besides a film, I can even ask for some really good food. He takes his food seriously and we bond over it. If you work on his set, he’ll organise three lunches, breakfasts and dinners. He’s thorough with his research when we are shooting outdoors. He’ll know the food specialities of all the places around and everything either comes to the set or to the room. His sets are the happiest places because everyone is well-fed.