Deepika Padukone (pronounced [d̪iːpɪkaː pəɖʊkoːɳ]; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian film actress and model. One of the most popular and highest-paid Indian celebrities, she has established a career in Bollywood films, and is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards. Padukone, the daughter of the badminton player Prakash Padukone, was born in Copenhagen and raised in Bangalore. As a teenager she played badminton in national level championships, but left her career in sport to become a fashion model.
She soon received offers for film roles, and made her acting debut in 2006 as the titular character of the Kannada film Aishwarya. Padukone then played dual roles in her first Bollywood release the 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Om and won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Padukone received praise for portraying the lead female roles in the romance Love Aaj Kal (2009) and the drama Lafangey Parindey (2010), but her performances in the romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) and the comedy Housefull (2010) met with negative reviews.
The 2012 box office hit Cocktail marked a turning point in Padukone's career, earning her critical acclaim and Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies. She went to star in the comedies Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), Chennai Express (2013), and Happy New Year (2014), all of which rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films. She also garnered praise for her performances in the tragic romance Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013), for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, the satire Finding Fanny (2014), and the comedy-drama Piku (2015).
Modeling
While in college, Padukone pursued a career in modeling. She was spotted in a ramp competition in NLS, Bangalore. Over the years, she has modeled for such Indian brand names as Liril, Dabur Lal powder, Close-Up toothpaste and Limca, and has been "brand ambassador" for the Jewels of India retail jewelery show. The cosmetics company Maybelline made her its international spokesperson.
At the fifth annual Kingfisher Fashion Awards she was awarded the title "Model of the Year". Shortly afterward, she was chosen as one of the models for the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar for 2006 and won two trophies at the Idea Zee Fashion Awards: "Female Model of the Year - (Commercial Assignments)" and "Fresh Face of the Year". Padukone was also chosen as the brand ambassador of Kingfisher Airlines and later Levi Strauss and Tissot SA.
Acting
Deepika got her formal acting training from the Anupam Kher School of Acting where she was one of the most dedicated students. After pursuing a successful career in modeling, Padukone branched out into acting. She started by starring in the music video for the song Naam Hai Tera from the independent pop album Aap Kaa Surroor by Himesh Reshammiya.
In 2006, Padukone made her cinematic debut in the Kannada film Aishwarya starring opposite actor Upendra. She later made a successful Bollywood debut in 2007 with Farah Khan's international hit Om Shanti Om opposite Shahrukh Khan. Her performance was well received, earning the actress a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award as well as her first Filmfare Best Actress nomination.
Taran Adarsh from indiaFM noted, "Deepika has all it takes to be a top star — the personality, the looks and yes, she's supremely talented too. Standing in the same frame as SRK and getting it right is no small achievement. She comes as a whiff of fresh air!" Padukone was then seen in Siddharth Anand's romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno opposite Ranbir Kapoor and alongside Bipasha Basu and Minissha Lamba.
The film, which released on 15 August 2008, performed reasonably well at the box office. Her next film Chandni Chowk To China, released on 16 January 2009, and was a critical and commercial disaster. Padukone's fourth release Love Aaj Kal, released on 31 July 2009 and proved to be one of the biggest hits of 2009.
Padukone will be next seen in Excel Entertainment’s Karthik Calling Karthik opposite Farhan Akhtar, which is slated to release on 26 February 2009. Her future projects include Sajid Khan’s Housefull alongside Akshay Kumar, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, and Kunal Kohli’s Break Ke Baad co-starring Imran Khan. In 2009, Deepika started writing weekly columns for HT City, the lifestyle supplement of Hindustan Times. These columns appear online on social network, Desimartini.
Personal life
In March 2008, Padukone began dating Ranbir Kapoor, her co-star from the film Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008). The couple broke up in November 2009.
Deepika Padukone filmography
Om Shanti Om (2007)
Love Aaj Kal (2009)
Cocktail (2012)
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)
Chennai Express (2013)
Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013)
Happy New Year (2014)
Piku (2015)
GALLERY PHOTO
