Rising star

Diana Penty wants to rubbish one of the worst stereotypes about models that they starve themselves to get those lean legs and flat tummies.

Written by Pooja Pillai

June 8, 2010 12:22 AM IST

4 min read

Diana Penty wants to rubbish one of the worst stereotypes about models that they starve themselves to get those lean legs and flat tummies. Ive heard that so many times that its really stopped mattering, she says as she tucks into a slice of cheese and garlic pizza at the Pali Village Cafe in Bandra. Besides,my friends have the last laugh. They know how much I eat. Penty confesses she loves to eat,a declaration that might be a little hard to digest when meeting the model in the flesh. Her white summery dress only enhances her petite frame,but when she gives out details about her large breakfast,one can tell that shes a foodie. She certainly doesnt starve herself she just happens to be,as they say in the glamour world,blessed with great metabolism.

Penty herself picked the location for this interview. Id heard so much about this new place and Ive been wanting to come here for a long time. But first she wants to set something straight. Im not doing any movies at the moment, she declares,when asked whether its true shell be starring opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Imtiaz Alis next,Rockstar. I dont know how these rumours started. She doesnt deny,though,that shes certainly keen on working in the movies,but only if Im comfortable with the role. In fact,Elite,her agency,is grooming her for a career in the movies and looking at suitable scripts,but Penty herself feels torn between her ambition to be part of the celluloid world and her love of her job. I just got back from the New York Fashion Week,and Id love to go back there in October. So Im wary of making any film commitments. After all,if I do sign on a film,Ill find it very difficult to focus on modelling. And I feel like Ive got so much left to do.

The 24-year-old model began her career five years ago when longtime family friend and ace photographer Farrokh Chothia photographed her on a whim. Given her tall,lean frame and delicate features,its no surprise that Penty was almost instantly snapped up by the fashion industry and in no time at all,signed prestigious campaigns like Garnier and Maybelline. Shes walked for some of the biggest names in Indian fashion,like Wendell Rodricks,Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Rohit Bal,while New York saw her walking the fashion week ramp and also shooting campaigns for Bluefly and Neiman Marcus. But she insists that this was not what shed dreamed of doing when she was younger. I was in my second year at St Xaviers College,doing Media Studies,when Farrokh shot those pictures. At that time,I had planned a career in advertising, she recounts,as she sips on her iced tea. Penty is a restless girl,given to much gesticulation and expressiveness when she talks. But once she lets the model in her take over,smiling and posing easily for the lens,its easy to see that Chothia had the right instincts and that Penty herself made the right career call.

The switch has proved serendipitous in other ways too she sees a lot of new places and gets a fat paycheck. Since I travel so much,I also get to do two other things that I enjoy. I can discover new cuisines and get to watch a lot more music concerts than I would if I were in Mumbai all the time. Given that she isnt planning on walking for any of the upcoming Indian fashion weeks and is in love with the Big Apple,would she consider moving there? I have a life here,but yes,if I had to quit Mumbai,I would love to move to New York, she says.

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