The actress unwinds at the Gateway Of India and professes her love for the Maximum City in the rains
Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; July 9, 2018)

For Bollywood’s lissome beauty Diana Penty, Mumbai is all about the heritage city she grew up in. “I’ve always lived in Town, so most of my hangout spots are in this side of the city,” she says, elaborating, “From the bylanes of Byculla to the colonial architecture and heritage of the Fort area, from the artsy Kalaghoda to the iconic Taj Mahal hotel overlooking the Gateway Of India — that’s the city I've come to love.”

Dressed in a black top and ochre-yellow culottes, the actress looked like she was all ready to enjoy the rains at the Gateway of India with her red umbrella when we met her. She shares, “My mum’s office was at the Taj, so I’ve been frequenting the place from childhood. I have the most happy memories here. The best chocolate cake in the world, according to me, is the Dutch truffle cake from one of the cake shops here.”

Digging out more nuggets from her childhood memories, she tells us how she enjoyed walking her dog at the green race course and eating a bhutta on Worli Sea Face. She says, “I loved the bhutta with tons of masala and limbu. One of the most cherished memories are Irani cafes like Byculla Restaurant & Bakery and Regal Restaurant & Bakery situated right down the road, they are institutions in their own right. I grew up on the chai, bun maska, mutton pattice, khaari biscuits, kheema pao, bhurji pao and mawa cakes here. I remember at that time we used to get five rupees as pocket money and after the school got over, we would earnestly wait for our chance to eat chips at Boman’s (Irani) wafer shop, which literally defined my childhood. Located on the same road where I live, it was my pit stop after school or tuitions. Either Boman, his mum or aunt were behind the counter, and on days when I was really lucky, I got a free packet of wafers!”

Diana also recalls some great time spent at the Xavier’s College. She says, “I remember having spent some wonderful time at the college canteen and the nearby Kayani bakery. The chequered flooring at the bakery was so lovely. I also remember my days at Rang Bhavan, there were a couple of restaurants around there, which continue to be my favourites.”

The actress also recalls the time she spent her evening at Jumbo Point, a name given to a location from where you can see an aeroplane taking off or landing from a close range. She says, “I didn’t know it was called Jumbo Point until fairly recently, but I remember spending evenings there watching the planes land. I come from a family of aviation enthusiasts, so you can imagine!”

Diana sums up the essence of the ‘Maximum City’ and calls it a ‘selfless city’. She says, “It’s probably one of the most selfless cities in the world. It’s bursting at the seams, but it still welcomes thousands of people each day with open arms. It is, after all, the city of dreams. No matter where you come from or what your background or religion is, it has place for everyone here — a place you can call home. Having said that, it is also not an easy city to live in — what with the traffic, the pollution, the exploding population and the ever-increasing prices. But it’s the city I was born in, grew up in and choose to live in today. A city, that has accepted me for who I am, helped me grow, made me independent and given me everything. A city I’m proud to belong to. I love you, Mumbai.”

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.