Deepika Padukone talks about her journey in Bollywood

From making her acting debut with Farah Khan’s reincarnation drama Om Shanti Om (2007) alongside none other than superstar Shah Rukh Khan to turning producer with the upcoming film Chhapaak, Deepika Padukone has indeed come a long way in Bollywood.

Today, Padukone is considered the numero uno queen of Hindi cinema. However, her journey to stardom was not an easy one. The actress recently did a photo-shoot for a popular publication in India and also spoke about her journey in Bollywood over the years.

"I think I just walked into the unknown. We did not watch too many movies growing up, and most of my childhood went into school coursework and professional badminton. As a family, we led a very disciplined, structured life. Everything was planned. Cinema didn't feature too much, but whenever it did, it felt familiar. I always felt like this is what I was meant to do. And it all happened very quickly,” Deepika Padukone said.

Adding further, she said, "Two years after I became a model, Farah [Khan] offered me Om Shanti Om. The rest of the journey, until a couple of years ago, was really about understanding, absorbing, and discovering Bollywood and myself, and making my mistakes along the way."

"I felt I finally understood what the medium really is, and the impact cinema can have on people and society. I began to get more comfortable with myself, and everything just started making sense to me. When you see the film fraternity as an outsider, you imagine it to be a certain way, and I was not fearful anymore,” she added.

Meanwhile, Padukone is looking forward to the release of her next film Chhapaak, directed by Meghna Gulzar. Besides playing the lead role, the actress has also produced the movie. Chhapaak arrives in cinemas on 10^th January, 2020.