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Dream run

photo: Sandeep Saxena

Pretty and poised Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone combines the zest of a school girl with the elegance of a film star. Stunning in a black halter top and a pair of jeans, a couple of inches of heels accentuating her 5’9” height, she effuses an easy charm.

Talking about her impressive stint as a model and the dream break in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Om Shanti Om”, she says it was not a journey without hassles.

“It is unfair to say I had it easy…that I got into films after just two years of modelling. I have worked really hard. Different people have to undergo different kinds of struggle,” adds Deepika.

The daughter of badminton ace Prakash Padukone, Deepika was always given the freedom to choose what is right for her.

“I played badminton till I was in Class X; then took a break for my boards. Later, I realised I didn’t want to play badminton as a profession,” says Deepika.

Now on her own — flitting through cities, signing movies, doing commercials, walking the ramp — Deepika remembers her childhood in Bangalore. “Even though my parents were working, they dropped me to school, picked me up for badminton classes…in fact, they took me to all the different classes I was attending,” she recalls.

Though, it now takes the “effort of taking a flight” to go home, Deepika loves that effort. “It is important for me to be in touch with people with whom I began and be with family. They keep me grounded,” she says.

Modelling may have snowballed into movies, that too to a resounding blockbuster, but Deepika keeps her aspirations realistic.

“I am just a little more than a year old in the industry. I am still learning. It is important to set realistic targets.”

However, she adds with a chuckle, “‘Om Shanti Om’ is yet to sink in.”

Quiz her on the relatively tepid “Bachna Ae Haseeno” and “Chandni Chowk to China” that followed and Deepika says, “‘Every film can’t be a super hit. Even the audience has to keep in mind that only a few films can be successful,” she says.

But Deepika is excited about the films in hand. Apart from Imitiaz Ali’s “Love Aaj Kal” with Saif Ali Khan slated for this June, she will appear opposite Farhan Akhtar in “Kartik calling Kartik”.

I am also doing a comedy with Akshay Kumar,” she adds. ‘“Love Aaj Kal’ is a very real film in terms of relationships. It will appeal to all age groups. I play Meera, a girl who wants to be independent,” says Deepika about her role.

With Farhan Akhtar’s movies exploring different sensibilities, Deepika is keen on“Kartik calling Kartik”. Ask her if she is caught in a web of glamorous roles, and Deepika reacts,

“I never understood this concept. If you wear make-up you become glamorous and the moment you take off your make-up, you become a serious actor. I am new to the industry and trying different movies. The roles offered have the potential to show my acting ability as well, which has never been questioned.”

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