Welcome to the first and ultimate information source for Indian super model and actor Deepika Padukone. Her work on screen is new and she already is touted as the "The next rising star of Bollywood!" We dedicate this site to a woman whom we consider the 8th Wonder of the World. Enjoy your stay and feel free to contribute.
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"Competition is good. It keeps me going" 2 Jul 2009 - 1209 Views - momo - Priyanka Sinha
Deepika Padukone, attired in an elegant shift dress, is the centre of attention at the coffee-shop of a five-star hotel, as she makes her way between tables. After a quick apology for turning up late, she darts across to greet a prominent director before finally settling down for the interview.
A picture of poise, stardom sits easy on the 23-year-old actress who seems neither overcome nor intimidated by it. Padukone puts this down to her upbringing. "My dad always taught me never to let success or failure affect me."
It would be fair to say that the box-office fate of her movie has not affected Padukone's popularity either. Nor for that matter the growing competition in the GenerationNext segment.
Three films old, she has been both applauded and criticised, but it has not come in the way of her being among the most-sought after new actresses in the industry. After a very successful debut with Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om and a dance number in Billu, she has also worked with Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor and now Saif Ali Khan. In her next film Kartik Calling Kartik, she acts opposite Bollywood's new thinking actor Farhan Akhtar. There is also Sajid Khan's Housefull, a multi-star film wherein she gets back with Akshay Kumar. Riteish Deshmukh and Arjun Rampal also star in the film as do Lara Dutta and Jiah Khan. Padukone, no stranger to multi-heroine projects after Bachna Ae Haseeno, is undeterred. A Telugu film starring two newcomers wherein she makes an appearance in a song is also in the pipeline.
"Competition is good. It keeps me going," says the former fashion model.
She puts down her belief that competition is healthy to her sports background. In fact, that is something she has in common with Love Aaj Kal co-star and producer Saif Ali Khan.
"We got along very well. Both our fathers are famous sportsmen, so we had that in common. Saif is all over the place in a nice way. He's extremely passionate about films and a lot of other things. He also loves giving gyan to everyone on life and relationships, but he's a lot of fun," she reminisces with a laugh.
As for Love Aaj Kal, director Imtiaz Ali could see only her in the female lead because of her intrinsic intuitiveness and sensitivity. She is, of course, thrilled about being a part of the film and describes Ali as very intuitive, a skilled filmmaker who has drawn very good performances from everyone. Padukone is eagerly looking forward to the film. "I am as nervous as I was before OSO," she confesses.
Unexpectedly, she is not fussy about her appearance on screen. "I don't worry too much about camera angles etc. In Om Shanti Om, Farah (Khan) was very particular about that sort of thing. So I leave it to the director's judgement," she says. There has been a learning curve though - "I am far more confident now and getting better with every film that I am doing in terms of facing the camera, gestures, lines-everything. I am certainly more confident and sure of myself."
She is not a fashion victim either. "I don't spend a fortune on dresses or bags etc because I have to run my home and pay my bills," explains Padukone, though she does admit to a shoe fetish.
Remarkably composed and level-headed for her young years, Padukone does not quite see herself as politically- correct. "I have always managed to put across my point without rubbing anyone the wrong way."
While a lot has been written about beau Ranbir Kapoor and her, she prefers to speak about her work. "We have always been open and honest about our relationship. There is nothing to hide. But I am not going to be giving away any details of our personal life to the media," she asserts.
In the same breath, she dispels all rumours of her objecting to certain actresses as his co-stars. "We read our scripts independently and don't make suggestions about each other's work as co-stars."
The Bengaluru girl who had not planned a career in films says that as a model she had set two rules for herself-no beauty pageants and no music videos. While she stuck to the first of not enrolling for a beauty pageant, rule number two was broken for a music video with Himesh Reshammiya.
"I really liked the song and decided to go ahead with it," she recalls with a laugh adding, "Farah told me that while she had seen me as a model, it was only after watching the music video that she decided on me as the heroine for OSO. So everything happens for a reason." We couldn't agree more.
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