I've been a responsible child: Diana

It was a hectic week for city girl and former Miss World Diana Hayden, who whizzed in and out of Hyderabad on Wednesday to lend her support to a charity for critically ill children.
But even as the beauty queen was on her way back to Bangkok to resume shooting, rumors began to fly fast and furious about how she left without visiting her ailing father, who had just suffered a massive heart attack and was admitted in a city hospital.Detractors also went to town about how Diana, who allegedly parted ways with her dad years ago, does not help him financially even though he is not well off. Clearing the air, a rather distraught Diana, gets candid as she speaks about her life, relationships and career.
It has been alleged that you didn’t meet your critically ill father or foot his bills...
What was said about me was nasty, cruel and unnecessary. I was on my way to Bangkok when my father was taken to the hospital. If this had happened while I was in Hyderabad, it would have been ridiculous of me to not have changed my flight.
It is an emotional situation. It leaves me helpless and frustrated. But making a choice to come back to Hyderabad now is tough. It will disrupt shooting which has already fallen back and the whole team will be affected by my absence. I may be perceived as selfish, but my being home right now may not make a difference; being on the sets will. In fact I haven’t told anybody about this here in Bangkok, because the energy on the sets is high, I don’t want us to lose momentum. To shout back and deny allegations would have been undignified, I’m a private person and these are personal matters which I keep to myself and internalize. My father always told me that tongues don’t have bones, therefore they wag...
As for allegations that I am refusing to offer financial support, let me set the record straight. I’m taking care of all the bills, I always have — right from the time I was in my teens. Yes, I’m physically not present, but I am constantly in touch, even with the doctors. In fact, just yesterday I asked my aunt to play country music for my father since he loves it.
I have had the most ideal and the best father. I often tell him that I am what I am today because of what they — my parents — have instilled in me. I could not have asked for better. And I’ve been a responsible and honest child. God knows, and my father knows, that my conscience is clear.
Why make a trip to Hyderabad in such a tearing hurry?
True, I was in a hurry. But I’m not just lending my name and face to this charity I endorse. I squeezed time out from a very tight shooting schedule in Bangkok to create awareness about children with critical illnesses. I feel pain for a child strapped to a machine, and parents who look up to doctors like they are God. I’ve heard parents question their self worth, asking themselves if they are fit to be parents if they can’t save their child’s life only because of lack of money. I feel no shame asking for money for such causes.
There’s a strong connection between beauty, glamour and charity. Isn’t it more appropriate to associate, say, a Bill Gates or a Narayan Murthy with charity...
Unfortunately celebs get more attention. Narayan Murthy is a celebrity in his own right, but in India there is an obsession with the world of glamour. Classic proof is our films. from NTR and Rajinikanth to Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, glamour is not just revered, it is worshipped. So, when we speak, we get heard and the message is absorbed. It is a tool used to maximize benefit.
You trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and Drama Studio, but your film stint has been rather short...
Bollywood is the craze, but I can't be sheep. I’m not okay with Bollywood. I did “Abbas” — it’s a film that bites at you and so I took it up. I host shows, corporate events, give grooming and motivational talks etc. I have no fear and I’m ready to take risks. I'm ok being jobless, but I must enjoy what I do. I need to feel love, hurt, pain... but enjoying the experience is most important.
In your personal life too?
Yes! But there’s no man in my life right now! My friends say I’m asking for too much. But I come from a simple middle class home — my father was a plumber and my mother a teacher. I hold very strong middle class values which don’t match my status today. I need to find a person whose core values match mine and who can also deal with my position. I need someone who is really grounded.