By Hindustan Times
Today, Diana Penty is the lady every man desires to take home to their mothers. And Dinesh Vijan, the producer of Cocktail, the film by which the supermodel will make her Bollywood debut, couldn’t be happier. “I gave the script to Deepika (Padukone) and asked her to make a choice from the 2 roles. Having already played Meera in Love Aaj Kal (2009) she opted for the challenge of playing the recent and wild Veronica. And with Deepika and Saif (Ali Khan) in, we decided this Cocktail needed a fresh ingredient,” Dinesh says.
Casting directors were asked to scout for fresh faces, but before they may audition anyone, Diana walked in for a gathering. “I was in a hurry to depart town, she was in a rush to head for a photo-session, but at a glance, we felt that despite the very best smile and polished looks, Diana was the shy, girl-next-door Meera. She has that classic Indian take care of. two auditions, both Homi (director Homi Adajania) and that i agreed that she was right for the role, even supposing we needed to de-glam her, make her less perfect and more awkward,” Dinesh admits.
Though Cocktial seems like an Indianised Veronica-Archie-Betty story, Dinesh denies any resemblance. “Apart from the name Veronica, there’s little in common,” he says.
Interestingly, old friends Dinesh and Saif has been business partners for seven years. He admits that he couldn’t bring to mind anyone but Saif for the role of the witty and outspoken Gautam. However, when he took the tale from Imtiaz Ali and commenced developing it, Saif wasn’t part of the project. “Then Saif read the script and decided he wanted in,” says Dinesh. “His humour within the first half and maturity post-interval gives Cocktail a heady twist. If you happen to loved his sardar avatar in Love Aaj Kal, you’ll love this Dilli flirt too.”
