‘LITTLE CHILD IN A CANDY SHOP’
That’s how Deepika Padukone feels even after completing a decade in Bollywood; adds that her character, Veronica from Cocktail still “sometimes comes back” to her
She started her Bollywood career in 2007 with Om Shanti Om alongside Shah Rukh Khan — that was one zinger of a debut, with not only a role, but a double role, opposite only one of the biggest stars in Bollywood. Clearly, Deepika Padukone has come a long way in the last decade in terms of popularity as well as performances. We chat up with the Padmavati actor in the 10th year of her career, about professional and personal life, and more.
You complete 10 years in Bollywood in 2017. How do you look at the journey till now?
I feel like a little child in a candy shop and that hasn’t changed [in the last decade]. In fact, today, I feel alive as an actor like never before. In the last 10 years, I have learnt so much just by working with people that I have teamed up with. Just being on a film set, making good or bad choices, and the criticism as well as praise that have come my way for the performances, all of that has made me the person that I am today.
So, in a way, you still feel like a newcomer…
Yes, I feel Padmavati is my debut film (laughs) and the fact is that’s what I feel like in spirit. I don’t feel the years at all. I feel like a little child, who has just started off. I have so much more to do, give and learn as well. So, I am like, ‘I want to be on one more film set so that I can make more mistakes and correct things too. So, honestly, there is still a lot to do.
In the 10th year of your film career, you have worked in Padmavati in which you have a titular role. Do you think Hindi filmmakers have taken really long to come up with such roles [for actresses]?
I can’t say that it hasn’t happened [in the past]. After all, a film like Mother India (1957) was also made. But yes, it’s true that it does not happen often and enough. Maybe because it is a marriage of a lot of things starting with a director’s vision and him or her finding the right actress [for the film]. After all, it’s not just about starring in a film, and that’s why a film like Padmavati is a massive responsibility. It’s a combination of a lot of things. So, producers must have faith in you for them to invest that kind of money. Technically, we can make a lot of films with the kind of money they have poured into one film (smiles).
You have been part of Bollywood for 10 years now. Do you notice a change visàvis women centric films?
Yes, but there are multiple factors that are at play [for that to happen]. Firstly, at a creative level, you must have a subject that is worthy of all the effort. Then, you need to have a director who can do justice to that vision. He has to find a muse who will do justice to his vision. Plus, there is the financial side, wherein a producer has to have faith in the film-maker. Only then they can have the confidence to put in the money while being confident that it will pay off at the box office and most importantly, that it’s worth everyone’s time, effort and energy.
For the past many months, you were completely immersed in Padmavati. But are you relieved now?
Not yet (smiles). Talking about Padmavati in specific, we are very much in the thick of things right now, so I don’t think there would be any sigh of any sort for a while. I strongly feel that there are a few characters that just don’t leave you and this is one of them. I have a feeling that I am going to carry this with me for a very long time. In the past, Cocktail has been one such film. It took me a really long time [to come out of Veronica’s character]. Sometime, it still comes back to me. So, there are a few characters that just refuse to exit your system.
In that sense, do you think it is a once in a lifetime kind of role for you?
Yes, as of now, it is. You know, I really hope that this sets a trend — not just for me — but many such roles for women. In that sense, it is an extremely defining moment for our cinema, and it [the change] doesn’t have to be just for me but for anyone and everyone. I hope it happens to someone else too and opens up [avenues] for all of us.
Only then they can have the confidence to put in the money while being confident that it will pay off at the box office and most importantly, that it’s worth everyone’s time, effort and energy. DEEPIKA PADUKONE, ACTOR