Bollywood’s dimpled beauty Deepika Padukone will be turning a year older on January 5 (Wednesday). The stunner has carved a niche for herself in the industry and is known for her acting prowess and sheer hard work. Ahead of her special day, let’s take a look at some of the most interesting and lesser-known facts of this beautiful stunner which will leave you amazed.
Well, all those who think she bagged her first big breakthrough Shah Rukh Khan starrer Om Shanti Om in 2007 will be stunned to know that wasn’t her first project. Instead, she was given her first break by songwriter and singer Himesh Reshammiya in his hit song Naam Hai Tera in 2006.
Deepika made her debut in films through a Kannada-language film, Aishwarya, in which she featured for the first time on the silver screen in September 2006.
While she and Ranveer Singh, who began dating during the making of their film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela (2013), have both been very discreet about their relationship, but in the past, she has never hidden her relationships, either with Ranbir Kapoor or Siddharth Mallya (whom she briefly dated). Around the time her career was going great guns, she was also diagnosed with depression. This was sometime in 2014. For her to speak openly about it, despite being a huge star, was remarkable. She not only spoke about her own battle but has become a champion for the cause with her foundation.
On her birthday today, here’s a look back at her career.
Deepika’s journey in Bollywood (and as much in public life) has been a story of self belief and some luck. To those who haven’t an idea of what she did before her entry into films, it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that she was already among the top models in India. She made her formal debut when she walked the ramp for designer Suneet Verma at the Lakme Fashion Week 2005.
So many models have come and gone but just a handful of them remain in public memory. Even during a brief career as a model, Deepika’s name was often taken in the same breath as Mehr Jessia, Aishwarya Rai, Nayonika Chatterjee, Sonalika Sahay among others. All models are tall and slender, but one distinctly recalls Deepika flashing her 100-watt smile even then.
However, her career slumped soon after. It wasn’t as if she didn’t get the roles, she did two high-profile films in 2008-09 — Bachna Aye Haseeno (with Ranbir Kapoor) and Chandni Chowk to China (with Akshay Kumar). While one earned profits, the other received a cold response at the box office.
With Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal, where she played the love interest of Saif Ali Khan (who played two characters across generations), Deepika found her mojo. Playing a strong-headed art conservationist, she fitted the role to the T. The film made impressive collections world over (according to Wikipedia, it made Rs 120 crore, budget being Rs 5 crore {Rs 50 million}). It sealed her position as one of Bollywood’s top-billed actresses.
Post Cocktail, her next big releases included Race 2 and Chennai Express. While the former, a sequel to Abbas Mastan’s 2008 Race was a successful action thriller, the latter was a romantic comedy. Needless to say, Deepika, played both the diametrically opposite roles were great ease. Race 2 demanded little of its heroines, but Chennai Express showcased her comfort with comedy. This Rohit Shetty film featured Deepika as a south Indian girl, on the run from her father, a local don, who wants her married to a man she doesn’t love.
With films like Yeh Jaawani Hai Deewani and Tamasha, she kept adding to her craft, playing a ‘shy wallflower’ in one to an emotionally drained lover in Tamasha. Deepika took on characters with a wide spectrum and aced them.
In 2015 she worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali a second time in his historical, Bajirao Mastani, having already worked with him in Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. As Mastani, Deepika was a picture of grace and dignity when in fact the story was centred around Bajirao and his world. As a warrior doing her own stunts to marking her silken presence as a beloved, Deepika endeared herself to the audience even further. The film was, of course, a resounding box office success.
Her next film, the ambitious Padmaavat, was controversial from start – sets being set ablaze and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali getting assaulted by goons during its shooting schedule. However, worse was still to come – days before its release in December 2017, Rajput groups, who were opposed to the film saying it was distortion of history, began a violent multi-state protest against its release. Much worse, they threatened to harm the cast – one group reportedly said they would cut off Deepika’s nose. So much so that at one point, Deepika and her family, was provided security. The fact remains that the film did release a month later and ended up being a resounding success.
Deepika, in many ways, has shown that the path to the top need not be an arduous one, being a star does not need one to put up appearances and that being honest is the best way to be.
