Diana Penty (pronounced [ɖaːjəna ˈpeːɳʈi]; born 2 November 1985) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi films.
She went on to play an army officer in Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran (2018), a public service volunteer in Shiddat (2021), and the leading lady in the Malayalam film Salute (2022).
[1] In 2005, Penty officially started working for Elite Models India, and made her runway debut at the Indo-Italian Festival for Italian designers Nicola Trussardi and Gianfranco Ferré.
[17] By 2007, she had established a successful modelling career after appearing in print campaigns for some of India's most prominent brands, including Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri, Parachute and Westside; as well as featuring on the covers of a few Indian fashion magazines.
[18][19] The following year, Penty went on to model at an international circuit when she started to endorse global brands excluding Maybelline, Garnier and Forever 21.
[22][23] Penty was originally slated to make her Bollywood debut in 2011 with Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar opposite Ranbir Kapoor, although she rejected the film due to her modelling commitments at the time and was subsequently replaced by Nargis Fakhri.
[25] Cast alongside Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, the film received mixed to positive reviews.
[27] Anupama Chopra added that "Diana is saddled with the most colourless character but [...] infuses her role with a quiet poise and holds her own.
[30] After a four-year absence from the screen, Penty played the titular runaway bride in Aanand L. Rai's production Happy Bhag Jayegi (2016), written and directed by Mudassar Aziz, which tells the story of her character's ensuing adventures when, in an attempt to elope with her lover, she instead ends up on the other side of the border, much to the chagrin of a young politician whose house she ends up in.
Her first appearance was as Captain Ambalika Bandyopadhyay, in Abhishek Sharma's period drama Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran opposite John Abraham, which was a commercial success.
[41] Penty portrayed Ira Sharma Sehgal, a public service volunteer who has a friction of ideology with her husband, in director Kunal Deshmukh's 2021 romantic drama Shiddat.
[42][43] India Today's Samriddhi Srivastava noted, "Though Diana Penty gets extremely limited screen time in comparison to her male counterparts, she leave a mark as free-spirited, practical and open-minded women.
[45][46] Haricharan Pudipeddi ofHindustan Times mentioned, "The women have very less to contribute to the film and Diana Penty gets wasted in a role that has no impact.
"[47] In her first release of 2023, Penty portrayed an actor's wife Naina, opposite Akshay Kumar in Raj Mehta's Selfiee.
[56] In her first release of 2025, Penty portrayed Kesar, a rebellious wife opposite Ajay Devgn and Mohit Malik in Azaad.
[57] Vineeta Kumar of India Today stated, "While, Penty doesn't get a lot of screen-space, she and Devgn add the required edge and delicacy to the story.
[78][79] Ashwini Deshmukh of Filmfare noted, "Penty's choice of roles and rare confidence has given her two hits in her short but snazzy career.