Deepika Padukone on making it big on her own: “It’s empowering”

Deepika Padukone started her acting career with Farah Khan’s reincarnation drama Om Shanti Om (2007) opposite none other than superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The film emerged as a massive blockbuster and there has been no looking back for the actress ever since. Over her 12-year-long journey in showbiz, Deepika has established herself as one of the leading faces of Indian cinema.

The gorgeous actress, who was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama Padmaavat (2018), recently spoke about how she made it big without any training and mentors. She also revealed that though her family used to see not more than two films a year, she always knew acting was her true calling.

“As a family, we saw maybe two films a year. I don’t know why. But whenever I watched a movie, I knew that one day I would be doing this. I would start with modelling, then go into films. And that is exactly how it happened,” said the actress in an interview.

Talking about how she managed to reach the top, braving several professional and personal ups and downs, she said, “I had no training, no mentors. I worked it all out on my own. Sure, I had some failures, personal and professional. But sheer determination fuelled me. It was empowering.”

On the work front, Deepika Padukone will next be seen in renowned filmmaker Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak. The film, set to release on 10^th January 2020, is based on a true story about an acid-attack victim named Laxmi Agarwal. Apart from playing the female lead, Padukone has also co-produced the movie.

After the release of Chhapaak, the talented actress will be seen sharing the screen space with husband Ranveer Singh in the hugely anticipated sports biopic 83. Directed by Kabir Khan, the movie chronicles Indian cricket team’s unprecedented victory against West Indies in the 1983 Cricket World Cup tournament.