I’m Deepika Padukone — a typical 19-year-old girl, a little shy, a little quiet and perhaps (as some people say), the ‘Next Big Thing’ in the modelling world. But I don’t think of myself as a supermodel even though I have bagged some of the topmost campaigns and am doing extremely well. I think I am plain lucky especially as there are so many girls out there who have been struggling for years and have still not made the grade.

I was born on January 5, 1986, in Denmark to my parents, Prakash Padukone and Ujjala. My dad, as most people would know, was the national badminton champion. We were based in Denmark for some time because at the time, my dad was playing some crucial matches there. We moved to Bangalore a few years later and from then on, Bangalore has been my home. My younger sister, Anisha, who is 14, is very different from me. While I am a little reserved, she is a complete extrovert and a total tomboy.

Our household, despite dad being a celebrity, was simple and traditional. Of course, we did have famous people trooping in and out of our house. But honestly, it didn’t make much difference to us. While dad taught us to be simple and stay rooted, mum was instrumental in instilling values in us, which has helped me to stay grounded even today. Dad never thought much about his celebrity status. In fact, at home, you’d find him helping mum with the housework or the cooking. In fact, it was only when we’d go out that we’d get VIP treatment and that’s when we would realize that our dad was a famous man. But dad always took his celebrity status with a pinch of salt.

My mother is the pillar of our family. She had earlier worked for Air India and then with a travel agency. Later on, she opened her own travel agency. She is one of the most enterprising and balanced persons around. If any of us ever had a problem, she was the first person we would run to. Invariably, she always has the right solution.

My dad is very broad-minded. He is always open to ideas and suggestions and until you cross the line, he will never say ‘no’ to anything.
Dad always said, ‘Fame is temporary. So never take the glitz and glamour seriously.’ And that has rubbed on to me. Today, people consider me a celebrity but I have tried not to let it go to my head. You will never see me throwing attitude, showing off or having airs. More so, as my parents keep telling me that ‘attitude doesn’t build reputation, hard work does’. Every day there are new girls coming into this line and at the end of the day, everybody is doing a job. One should not get carried away by the accolades and the brouhaha that comes along with the glamour.

Back to my school days though, I studied at Sophia High School in Bangalore. It was an all-girls’ convent and was great fun! I was basically a very well behaved child. Yes, I did have my naughty moments but I never overdid anything. As a student, though I was above average, I never put much effort into my studies. At that time, like my father, I too wanted to be a sportsperson.

But when I was in the fifth standard, out of the blue, modelling assignments started coming to me. My parents didn’t have any issues about it. I did big campaigns like ‘Westside’ — it was called ‘Little Woods’ then. I did a campaign for ‘BPL’, ‘Lipton’ and a huge campaign for ‘Weekenders’. Though my memories about these campaigns are a bit hazy now, I do remember being all dressed up in lovely clothes, and everybody pampering me at the sets, giving me chocolates etc, and saying ‘how cute’. When the campaigns were out, I suddenly became famous. My teachers, classmates and friends would make much of it. It was a great experience. And I think that’s when the germ of modelling sprouted in my heart.

I Believe
Deepika Padukone tells Sumita Chakraborty