Diana Penty opened up about her journey in Bollywood, highlighting key roles and her ambitions ahead. She fondly reminisced about sharing screen space with Deepika Padukone in ‘Cocktail’, expressing admiration for Deepika’s portrayal of Veronica. The actress also reflected on her own debut as Meera in the film.“Cocktail” as a Career MilestoneDuring her conversation with Moneycontrol.com, Diana described ‘Cocktail’ as an ultra-special project that will always remain one of the most special memories throughout her life. She expressed immense gratitude for the chance to play Meera, a character that deeply resonated with her own nature. She couldn’t have asked for a better debut film or a role that suited her personality more perfectly. Given her nature, Meera came very naturally to her, and portraying the character on screen felt authentic because it reflected who she was at that time.Dismissing Limelight ClaimsWhen asked about taking the limelight from Deepika in ‘Cocktail’, Diana was quick to dismiss the idea, saying she didn’t at all. She praised Deepika’s performance as amazing, noting that she looked great and delivered one of her best performances at that time. Diana emphasized that there was no way she took any limelight from Deepika.Collaborative Success and Character ContrastShe highlighted that the film’s success came from the combined efforts of the cast, especially the two female leads whose contrasting personalities played a key role. She noted that the movie thrived because the two girls were so polar opposite from each other. Recalling the re-release of ‘Cocktail’, she shared how she and her mother were completely drawn to Padukone’s performance, unable to take their eyes off her. Deepika’s portrayal was described as incredibly good, effortless, and disciplined, with a reputation for never being late on set.Styling and Meera’s Signature LookPenty also credited the film’s stylist, Anita Adjania, for the distinct and impactful fashion in ‘Cocktail’. She said hats off to Anita, who styled the whole film and did a fabulous job with each character, making sure every character had their own individual style that was different from the others and added so much value to that character. She explained the vision behind Meera’s seemingly simple yet chic style, saying the whole idea was to make Meera the girl next door, who was not overly stylized. In the story, Meera came to London very traditionally Indian, dressing in salwar suits, and then, after meeting Veronica, she was influenced by her decisions, style, and choices, even borrowing clothes from her wardrobe in a very simple way. This approach worked really well, making Meera well put together, simple, but chic.
