DEEPIKA MAKES IT TO TIME’S LIST OF 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE
Deepika Padukone says she’s honoured to be named among TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world
Deepika Padukone is clearly on a roll, and how! Even before the dust could settle over her much lauded outing as queen Padmavati in the film Padmaavat, the actor has scored another big win: she is one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world this year. In fact, Deepika happens to be the only female Indian actor named in the prestigious list.
A source close to the actor says, “This proves that Deepika has made a global impact with her work. 2018 is already turning out to be great for her, as she kicked it off with a ₹300crore blockbuster, Padmaavat, that saw her play the title role (the film was originally titled Padmavati). Now, this news of her being among the 100 most influential people has come as a sweet surprise.”
Deepika, on her part, feels “humbled” by such an honour. “Honestly,” she says, “I’ve never really believed in self-- acknowledgement. Instead, I have always looked ahead [in life]. But I must admit that today, I do feel a small sense of achievement. It is humbling to be acknowledged for the work that you do, and so, it’s my absolute honour to be part of this prestigious list alongside such incredible achievers.”
Interestingly, in a profile that he did for the magazine, Vin Diesel, her Hollywood costar from xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017), says that Deepika is “the best [that] Earth has to offer”. He writes, “Anyone could talk about how beautiful she is, and anyone could tell you about her unmatched comedic timing. She isn’t just a star [but] an actor’s actor, dedicated to the craft. So often in the entertainment industry, we deal in stereotypes, and people get stuck in certain markets. She’s not just here to represent India; she’s here to represent the world.”
This year’s list includes other big names such as US President Donald Trump, Nicole Kidman, Gal Gadot, Hugh Jackman, TV host Jimmy Kimmel, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Roger Federer, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and Oprah Winfrey. Also featured in the list are Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and Microsoft’s Indian-born CEO, Satya Nadella.
Workwise, Deepika is yet to green-light a new film. She was set to start work on Vishal Bhardwaj’s next film, costarring Irrfan, but it had to be put on hold after she began facing back problems and in light of Irrfan’s illness.