Diana Penty opened up about working with Deepika Padukone in the 2012 romantic-comedy, Cocktail, and called her ‘professional’ and ‘disciplined’. Diana credited Deepika’s upbringing and background in sports as contributing factors to her ‘dedicated’ nature.

During an interaction with NDTV, Diana said, “She was honestly the best co-actor to have in my first film. Deepika and Saif (Ali Khan) were both my pillars of support through the times when I knew nothing. They made me feel completely comfortable, made light of everything. If I forgot my lines and we had to redo the scene, they made me feel like it was no big deal. So, I really, really appreciate that."

Speaking about Deepika, she said, “I had so many scenes with her, and I've always seen her - she's very, very hard working, extremely dedicated. And I think she has a great working style." When asked about Deepika’s professionalism, Diana said, “She is extremely professional and very disciplined. And I think that also comes from her upbringing and her background, being a sports player as well. She is disciplined."

Deepika was recently let go from the sequel of the sci-fi actioner, Kalki 2898 AD as the makers felt that they were 'unable to find a partnership with the actor'. “And a film like Kalki 2898 AD deserves that commitment and much more. We wish her the best with her future works,” they wrote on social.

While Deepika has not made an official comment about her exit from the film, she seemed to take a jibe at the makers in a recent post where she announced commencing shoot for Shah Rukh Khan’s King. “The very first lesson he taught me almost 18 years ago while filming Om Shanti Om was that the experience of making a movie, and the people you make it with, matter far more than its success,” she wrote, adding that she has applied this learning to ‘every decision she has made since'.

Earlier this year, a similar controversy had emerged when Animal filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga posted a cryptic note about Deepika’s unprofessionalism after she had reportedly chosen to walk out of Prabhas starrer Spirit when her ‘unreasonable’ conditions were not met.