One of India’s leading actresses, Deepika Padukone has yet again done us proud. She has recently been named the first woman to enter the top 5 in Forbes’ richest Indian celebs list. This is a record for any Indian woman till date. Her gross earnings this year have been a whopping Rs. 112 crore.
So, what makes her so different, famous, likeable and saleable? Over the years that she has been in Bollywood, Deepika has done a range of roles. From her debut in ‘Om Shanti Om’ in a double role to ‘Cocktail’ to ‘Bajirao Mastani’, Deepika has mastered the art of going skin deep in her character to create magic.
Here are some unknown facts about the actress that are sure to leave you asking for more.
Deepika Padukone has become the first woman to earn a spot in the top five in the Forbes’ richest Indian celebs list. She took the fourth spot while her husband Ranveer Singh is at number eight.
She is related to the legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt, whose real name was Vasanth Padukone.
Deepika was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, but moved to Bangalore, India, when she was 11 months old.
Owing to her sports genes, that she inherited from her National level badminton icon father, Prakash Padukone, Deepika had an inclination towards badminton early on. She is a national level player and played basketball at state level. However, she gave it up to pursue a career in modelling.
In 2004, she appeared in a TV commercial for ‘Liril’ soap and got noticed instantly.
In 2005, this diva became the Kingfisher Model of the Year and made her big ramp debut at the Lakme Fashion Week.
Her first break in Bollywood was in a music video by music director Himesh Reshammiya. The video was titled ‘Naam Hai Tera Tera’.
In the year 2006, Deepika became an actor with her first Kannada movie, titled ‘ Aishwarya’. Her Bollywood debut happened much later.
Unknown to many, Deepika was to make her film debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Saawariya’, opposite Ranbir Kapoor, but was replaced with Sonam Kapoor, in favour of the tried and tested actor-kid formula. This proved lucky for her, as she bagged a role opposite Shahrukh Khan that turned out to be a solid hit and beat ‘Saawariya’ at the box office.
She trained under Anupam Kher’s tutelage at his ‘Actor Prepares’ institute and also sharpened her dancing skills under ace choreographer Shiamak Davar. The actress has received initial training in the Indian classical dance form, Bharatnatyam.
In 2013, she became the first actress to do 4 back to back 100 crore films. These films were Race 2, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express, Ramleela.
One of the few Indian actresses to have received an A list movie to make her Hollywood debut. She starred in the much talked about ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’ with actor Vin Diesel. The movie turned out to be one of the top grossers of Hollywood for the year 2017. Talks of a sequel is now in the news.
Deepika’s ‘Padmaavat’ has been a 2018 blockbuster and has placed her in the most coveted and sought-after actors list in Bollywood.
Over the years, Deepika has won the following accolades for her marvellous performances and star power.
Most Beautiful Indian – People India Magazine
Most Desirable India – Times of India
World’s Sexiest Woman – FHM India
Hot 100 – Maxim India
Special Achievement Award – CNN IBN Indian of the Year (2013)
Entertainer of the Year – NDTV Indian of the Year (2014)
Forbes richest Indians – 2018
She has won 3 Filmfare Awards, 9 Screen Awards, 6 Zee Cine Awards, 3 Stardust Awards & 6 IIFA Awards.
Apart from acting, Deepika advocates the cause of fighting mental depression and supports a charitable NGO called, ‘The Live Love Laugh Foundation’.
She has also adopted Ambegaon village in Maharashtra and helps them by supporting their water and electricity needs.
Her recent marriage to actor Ranveer Singh, in the picturesque Lake Como, Italy, was the talk of the town for days at end.
Deepika, has time and again proved, that mettle, calibre and hard work are the keys to success and no push or backup without these, can prove successful in the long run.