‘DIWALI IS A FESTIVAL OF JOY AND GIVING’
This year, Deepika Padukone won’t be travelling to her hometown, Bangalore for Diwali but she “won’t sit at home” either her
Being a top Bollywood star is mostly great, but it also means less family time — Deepika Padukone admits that every year, on Diwali, she misses her “family more and more”. But you can’t miss the exuberance and child-like enthusiasm in her, when she talks about the “festival of lights”. HT Café catches up with the actor at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu for an exclusive chat and a photo shoot. You must be in a joyous mood — thanks to Diwali and Padmavati’s release being just around the corner? It’s a very interesting time for me. As for Padmavati, I have lived with it for so long that it’s not something you can snap out of just like that. It will take me a while to come out of it. Right now, I still feel like I am Padmavati and that I am carrying her soul with me. At the same time, it’s time for double celebrations, not just because it’s Diwali but also because the film is releasing. All of it is coming together so, I can feel the excitement in the air. The trailer has just come o ali time and the filmil is going to release in about one-and-a-half month. So, it’s time to celebrate. Like for many others, has Diwali always been a special festival for you too? Yes, absolutely! At a deeper level, it is the festival of lights. I believe it [the festival] is necessary and we should celebrate this Diwali with more enthusiasm than ever before as the last couple of years have been rough for us — socially, economically and politically. There is so much going on in the world and the country that a festival of lights such as Diwali brings a lot of joy into people’s lives. It is the festival of giving, celebrating and joy; and there is also so much to be thankful for. I really hope that we all celebratec Diwali like never seen before this year. Having become such a big star today, do you miss those simple, carefree Diwali days? This year, since Padmavati is coming up, I can’t be in Bangalore. Usually, if I don’t have a film release coming up [around Diwali]; I do take a few days off around Diwali. I go back to Bangalore to help my mother [with the preparations for the festival]. But this time I can’t as we have to complete the film and then start promoting it, so there is a lot going on. We are going to celebrate in a different way. Maybe, we will celebrate Diwali when Padmavati releases, so for us it will be December 1 (laughs).
There is so much going on in the world and the country, that a festival of lights such as Diwali brings a lot of joy into people’s lives. DEEPIKA PADUKONE, ACTOR
I used to help my mother fold and label those boxes because unlike today, the boxes weren’t readymade. DEEPIKA PADUKONE, ACTOR
Do you have any special Diwali memories of growing up in Bangalore?
The year when I am not with my family [on Diwali], I miss them more and more. Every year, during Diwali, I am reminded of all the celebrations I have had as a child with my parents. Those days were so simple and I remember helping out my mother. Everything is very organised at my home, so be it diyas, rangolis, lights or other decorative items, they are all kept in small packets. Those packets have never changed, and every year, we know that those packets will come out. While diyas have their designated spots, the lights go up on the balcony. We’ve celebrated it for so many years that it comes very naturally. It is like a ritual; and that’s why we don’t have to think every year what we have to do.
So, clearly, you were always quite handson?
I would always help my mother with the candles, diyas, rangolis, and also putting up the lights. On the festival day, it was all about setting up the mandir and doing the pooja. Also, there were always two-three homes that we would visit, and you know that invitations would come from those houses. Also, we send the typical south Indian sweets and for years, that practice hasn’t changed. In Bangalore, I used to help my mother fold and label those boxes because unlike today, the boxes weren’t readymade.
All the sweets are made at home?
Yes, sweets are made at home beforehand. We used to do everything — from preparing sweets to packing and distributing them. So, either my mum or I would go for it. One year, my mother decided to do something different and gift chocolates and brownies but everyone called saying, ‘we don’t want chocolates but your south Indian sweets (laughs)’. So, now we have gone back to that. Similarly, as soon as we got gifts from others, we would immediately know who had sent it. I find all of that so beautifully ingrained and rooted into our culture. It is beautiful and we have so much to celebrate as a nation.
Padmavati’s trailer has caught on in a big way. In that sense, has this Diwali become very special?
Absolutely! It’s our labour of love, our labour of heart, soul, joy, blood, tears and sweat. We have put everything into this movie. Be it Padmavati, other characters or the entire project, they have all come alive from a simple thought or an idea. To actually see it all come together feels great. For me, creating this character (Padmavati), who is widely worshipped and to see the captain of the ship, Sanjay (Leela Bhansali) sir take full charge and go full steam ahead with this army has been very overwhelming and an extremely joyous moment for us. It’s a celebration of so many things. More than anything else, I am glad to have brought to life the vision that he lived with for so many years. Not just India, the world is going to be proud of Padmavati and I can feel it in my gut.