Diana Penty facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Diana Penty
Penty in 2019
Born	(1985-11-02) 2 November 1985 (age 39) Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Alma mater	St. Xavier's College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2005–present

Diana Penty was born on November 2, 1985. She is an Indian actress who mostly works in Hindi movies. She started her career as a model in 2005. This happened when she joined Elite Models India.

Diana then began acting in films. Her first movie was the romantic comedy Cocktail in 2012. For this role, she was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. After a break, Diana played the main role in Happy Bhag Jayegi (2016). This movie became a surprise hit. She later acted as an army officer in Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran (2018). She also played a volunteer in Shiddat (2021). Her first Malayalam film was Salute (2022). More recently, she has appeared in streaming movies like Bloody Daddy (2023) and Adbhut (2024). Besides acting, Diana Penty is also a popular face for many brands.

Early life

Diana Penty was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Her father is Parsi and her mother is a Konkani Christian. She went to St. Agnes High School in Mumbai. Later, she earned a bachelor's degree in Mass Media from St. Xavier's College.

Career

Modelling career (2005–2011)

Penty in 2011

Diana Penty started her modelling journey by sending her photos to Elite Models India. They liked her pictures and suggested she try modelling. At that time, she was still in college. She decided to work part-time as a fashion model.

In 2005, Diana officially began working for Elite Models India. She made her first appearance on a runway at the Indo-Italian Festival. She walked for Italian designers like Nicola Trussardi and Gianfranco Ferré. After this, Diana modelled for many other Indian designers. By 2007, she was a successful model. She appeared in ads for big Indian brands. She also featured on the covers of several Indian fashion magazines.

The next year, Diana started modelling internationally. She endorsed global brands like Maybelline, Garnier, and Forever 21. The CEO of Elite Models India, Sushma Puri, said Diana's face was very versatile. She appealed to both Indian and international markets. This made her a great choice for international brands. Later, Diana started getting offers to act in films. However, she felt she was not ready. So, she turned them down to focus on her modelling career. From 2008 to 2010, Diana became well-known internationally. She modelled at fashion weeks in Paris and New York.

Film debut and breakthrough (2012–2018)

Penty promoting Cocktail in 2012

Diana was first supposed to start her Bollywood career in 2011. This was with Imtiaz Ali's film Rockstar. But she said no because of her modelling work. Nargis Fakhri took her place instead. Later, Diana signed up for Homi Adajania's Cocktail. This was suggested by Imtiaz Ali. She starred alongside Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone. The movie received good reviews. Critics liked Diana's role as Meera, a simple Indian girl. Her performance earned her nominations for best debut and best supporting actress. Cocktail became a big hit at the box office.

After not appearing in films for four years, Diana returned in 2016. She played the main character, a runaway bride, in Happy Bhag Jayegi. This movie was about her character's adventures. She accidentally ends up across the border while trying to run away with her boyfriend. Diana explained her break by saying she wanted to find an interesting story. She didn't want to do just any film. The movie got mixed reviews from critics. However, it became a sleeper hit, meaning it became popular over time.

In 2017, Diana played Gayatri Kashyap in Lucknow Central. She was an NGO worker who helped a band formed by prison inmates. The Times of India said she played her part well.

Diana had two movies released in 2018. First, she appeared as Captain Ambalika Bandyopadhyay. This was in Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran with John Abraham. The movie was a success. Bollywood Hungama said Diana played her serious character very well. Her second movie was Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi. This was a sequel to Happy Bhag Jayegi. She played her role again alongside Sonakshi Sinha. This movie did not perform as well as the first one.

Career progression (2019-present)

In 2019, Diana made a special appearance in a music video. It was for the song "Shehar Ki Ladki" from the film Khandaani Shafakhana. She appeared with singer Badshah and actors Suniel Shetty and Raveena Tandon.

In 2021, Diana played Ira Sharma Sehgal in Shiddat. Her character was a public service volunteer who had different ideas from her husband. India Today noted that Diana made a strong impression. Even though she had less screen time than the male actors. Diana made her debut in Malayalam films in 2022. She starred in Salute with Dulquer Salmaan. She played Dia, Salmaan's love interest.

In 2023, Diana played Naina, an actor's wife, in Selfiee. She starred opposite Akshay Kumar. A critic said she brought a "glowing dignity" to her role. Diana then played an NCB officer in Bloody Daddy. This movie was released online. She acted opposite Shahid Kapoor.

In 2024, Diana played a mysterious woman in Adbhut with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. This film was released directly on Sony Max. A critic from Bollywood Hungama praised her performance. They noted it was a role she had never done before.

In 2025, Diana will appear in Azaad. She plays Kesar, a rebellious wife. She will also be seen in Section 84 with Amitabh Bachchan.

Off-screen work

In 2017, Diana Penty volunteered for an NGO. She was inspired by her character in Lucknow Central. She also supports many good causes. In 2020, she gave safety gear to the Mumbai police during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also worked with Ketto India for a project called #EveryLifeMatters. This helped provide relief and financial support during the crisis.

Penty at the Lakme Fashion Week in 2017

Diana Penty first attended the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. She has walked the red carpet there in later years too. She has also walked the runway at the Lakme Fashion Week. She has been a cover model for many magazines. These include Vogue, Elle, Verve, Women's Health India, Grazia India, and Femina.

Filmography

Films

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

• All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2012	Cocktail	Meera Sahni
2016	Happy Bhag Jayegi	Harpreet "Happy" Kaur
2017	Lucknow Central	Gayatri Kashyap
2018	Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran	Capt. Ambalika Bandopadhyay / Nakul Singh
	Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi	Harpreet "Happy" Kaur
2019	Khandaani Shafakhana	Sunita	Special appearance in song "Sheher Ki Ladki"
2021	Shiddat	Ira Sharma Sehgal
2022	Salute	Dia	Malayalam film
2023	Selfiee	Naina
	Bloody Daddy	Aditi Rawat
2024	Adbhut	Mary Mathews / Anjali Malhotra / Amy Mathews
2025	Azaad	Kesar Bahadur
	Chhaava	Zinat-un-Nissa Begum	Post-production
TBA	Section 84	TBA	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2024	Daring Partners	TBA	Filming

Music video

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Diana Penty para niños