Deepika Padukone is one of the most successful celebrities, not only in India but also in the world. She has won billions of hearts with her acting skills and good looks. She has blessed us with her amazing performance in more than 40 fantastic movies. She has also found the love of her life in the face of Ranveer Singh and is now happily married to him.
Well, we have discovered some very interesting facts about Deepika. Do you know that Deepika Padukone has created a Guinness World Record for being the highest-earning Bollywood actress with 112.8C? If not, then let’s uncover some other interesting facts about her.
Early life
Deepika Padukone was born in Copenhagen in Denmark on 5 January 1986. When she was a year old, her family shifted to Bangalore. She belongs to a Saraswat Brahmin family and has the Konkani language as her mother tongue. Her mother, Ujjala Padukone, is a travel agent, and her father, Prakash Padukone is a former professional badminton player. He was the world’s No. 1 badminton player in the year 1980. He is a recognized player who has earned highly honourable awards like Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri Award. Deepika also has a younger sister, Anisha Padukone, who is a golfer.
Deepika got her early education at Bangalore in Sophia High School. She completed her pre-university education at Mount Carmel College and later enrolled in Indira Gandhi National Open University for her Bachelor’s degree. But unfortunately, she dropped that course because of her modelling career. Being the daughter of a professional badminton player, Deepika has also been a part of various badminton as well as baseball tournaments in her school days. While being an amazing sportsperson, she was also a brilliant child model appearing in a few advertising campaigns. Later, she focused on being a fashion model rather than a sportsperson.
Career
At a very early age, Deepika realised that she wants to be a fashion model. She was a good sportsperson but does not want to pursue that as her career. When he told her father about this, he wasn’t upset with her decision but in fact, supported her in this. In the year 2004, when she was only 18, she started modelling as a full-time career. At this early stage, she got recognised for her modelling in TV commercials like the soap Liril and some other brands.
In 2005, she gave her runway debut for the designer Suneet Varma at the Lakme Fashion Week. This helped her to gain the “Model of the Year” Award at the Kingfisher Fashion Awards. She got huge recognition and fame when she appeared in a popular print campaign for the 2006 Kingfisher Calendar. In the year 2007, when she was 21, she relocated to her aunt’s home in Mumbai. In the same year, she appeared in the music video for the song “Naam Hai Tera” sung by Himesh Reshammiya. This music video brought her great recognition and she got offers for roles in various films. But at that time, she does not believe herself to be capable enough for such roles and thus enrolled on a course at the film academy run by Anupam Kher. Soon, Farah Khan gets to know about her and offered the lead role in her upcoming movie Om Shanti Om. This is how Deepika got her debut movie.
Entry into Bollywood
Deepika Padukone gave her fantastic debut in the 2007 movie Om Shanti Om, directed by Farah Khan. In this movie, she was featured in dual roles opposite Shah Rukh Khanwhich she played amazingly. This movie was the highest-grossing film of that year and she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. This film turned out to be a boon for her. In 2008, she was cast in one of the Yash Raj Films which was a romantic comedy, titled Bachna Ae Haseeno opposite Ranbir Kapoor. This movie was also commercially successful.
In 2009, she appeared in a Kung Fu comedy movie Chandni Chowk to China opposite Akshay Kumar. In this movie, she played the double role of twin sisters. This film was produced by Warner Bros. and was one of the widest international releases of any Indian Movie. Deepika learned Jujutsu for this film and performed her own stunts. Despite such hard work and hype, this movie failed to perform successfully at the box office. In the same year, she appeared in the song “Love Mera Hit Hit” in the movie Billu. She was also cast in Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal opposite Saif Ali Khan. This was a financially successful movie and became the third highest-grossing film in 2009 and Deepika got nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
In this period, Deepika has performed some amazing movies and some not-so-great movies like Lafangey Parindey, Break Ke Baad, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, Aarakshan, and Desi Boyz which failed to perform well at the box office. These movies brought criticism of her that she has lost her sparkle and needed to put more effort into her acting skills.
Bollywood Blast
In 2012, Deepika got the chance to play an amazing role in an epic romantic comedy Cocktail. This movie turned out to be a changing point in her acting career. She was cast alongside Diana Penty and Saif Ali Khan. Deepika’s performance in this film was highly appreciable and she got huge recognition for her role. This role was a physical challenge for her and she has to follow a strict diet plan and extensive workout routine. She was considered the soul of the film and was seen excelling in her performance in every scene. For the fabulous representation of her role in Cocktail, she got nominated for various awards making this movie a big hit at the box office.
By this time, Deepika had become a well-established actress in the Bollywood industry. In 2013, she got featured in some epic movies like Race 2, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express, and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela among others. These movies have helped her earned a lot of awards and huge recognition in the industry. The year 2013 turned out to be one of the best years for Deepika’s acting career as she got some financially successful movies to her side. In 2014, she got featured with superstar Rajnikanth in the Tamil movie Kochadaiiyaan. Other than this, she also got cast in some really nice movies like Happy New Year and Tamasha, and some averagely good films like Finding Fanny and Piku. After Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Deepika got another collaboration with Ranveer Singh in 2015 in the movie Bajirao Mastani.
Worldwide Expansion
Deepika Padukone is one of the finest actresses who have got so many opportunities in their acting career. In 2017, she got offered a lead role in the Hollywood movie XXX: Return of Xander Cage opposite the famous Vin Diesel. She performed brilliantly and became one of the fortunate Indian superstars to be a part of the Hollywood film industry. This was her first Hollywood project and she got mixed criticism for the movie. This movie got the most appreciation and popularity at the Chinese box office. For her amazing performance, Deepika got nominated for several awards.
The Famous and Elegant Deepika
In 2018, Deepika portrayed the mesmerizing role of the famous Rani Padmavati in the movie Padmaavat. With Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh, and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji, the movie turned out to be very elegant and classy. It had a luxurious and aesthetic set which was highly loved by the audience. Despite a beautiful cultural representation, the film got criticised for manipulating historical facts and messing with the culture. This movie was one of the most luxurious and expensive ones in the Indian film industry.
In the same year, she created her own production company named Ka Production. The first movie to be produced under this tag was Chhapaak, in 2020. This film was based on an acid attack survivor named Laxmi Agarwal. Although the film was not a commercial success, she got a high appreciation for such a role. In 2021, she played the role of Kapil Dev’s wife while Ranveer Singh portrayed Kapil Dev in his biopic named 83. This off-screen couple got huge recognition for portraying the on-screen couple, though the movie was not as successful as expected. The movie depicts the story of India’s victory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup.
In early 2022, another movie featuring Deepika Padukone was released, titled Gehraiyaan. Deepika got a great appreciation for her performance in the movie.
The upcoming projects of Deepika Padukone include a Yash Raj Film with SRK titled Pathan, and a Siddharth Anand’s film opposite Hrithik Roshan named Fighter. She is also cast as Draupadi in a retelling of Mahabharata, which she is producing too. There is also a science fiction film, yet untitled, in which she is cast alongside Prabhas.
Top Movies List
Deepika has been featured in 40+ movies and has beautifully played those roles. There are so many movies which have brought great recognition for her work. Let’s see some of the top movies of Deepika.
| # | Movie Name | Release Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Om Shanti Om | 2007 |
| 2 | Bachna Ae Haseeno | 2008 |
| 3 | Love Aaj Kal | 2009 |
| 4 | Housefull | 2010 |
| 5 | Lafangey Parindey | 2010 |
| 6 | Desi Boyz | 2011 |
| 7 | Cocktail | 2012 |
| 8 | Race 2 | 2013 |
| 9 | Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani | 2013 |
| 10 | Chennai Express | 2013 |
| 11 | Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela | 2013 |
| 12 | Happy New Year | 2014 |
| 13 | Piku | 2015 |
| 14 | Bajirao Mastani | 2015 |
| 15 | xXx: The Return of Xander Cage (English) | 2017 |
| 16 | Padmaavat | 2018 |
Awards and Recognition
The outstanding screen performance of Deepika Padukone has brought her many awards including Filmfare and IIFA. Let’s see the list of awards she is honoured with.
| # | Award Name | Receiving Year | Received For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IIFA Award for Best Female Debut | 2008 | Om Shanti Om |
| 2 | Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut | 2008 | Om Shanti Om |
| 3 | Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female | 2008 | Om Shanti Om |
| 4 | Zee Cine Award for International Female Icon | 2011 | ------ |
| 5 | BIG Star Entertainment Award for Most Entertaining Actor in a Romantic Film – Female | 2012 | Cocktail |
| 6 | Screen Award for Best Actress (Popular Choice) | 2012 | Desi Boyz |
| 7 | Stardust Award for Style Icon of The Year | 2012 | ------- |
| 8 | BIG Star Entertainment Award for Most Entertaining Actor (Film) – Female | 2013 | Chennai Express |
| 9 | BIG Star Entertainment Award for Best Romantic Couple (along with Shah Rukh Khan) | 2013 | Chennai Express |
| 10 | Filmfare Award for Best Actress | 2014 | Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela |
| 11 | IIFA Award for Jodi of the Year (along with Ranbir Kapoor) | 2014 | Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani |
| 12 | IIFA Award for Best Actress | 2014 | Chennai Express |
| 13 | IIFA Award for Entertainer of the Year | 2014 | ---- |
| 14 | BIG Star Entertainment Award for Most Entertaining Actor in a Drama Film – Female | 2015 | Piku |
| 15 | IIFA Award for Woman of the Year | 2015 | ---- |
| 16 | Screen Award for Best Actress (Popular Choice) | 2015 | Happy New Year |
| 17 | Filmfare Award for Best Actress | 2016 | Piku |
| 19 | Screen Award for Best Actress (Popular Choice) | 2016 | Bajirao Mastani |
| 18 | IIFA 20 Years Award for Best Actress | 2019 | Chennai Express |
Personal Life
Deepika loves her family more than anyone else and has a strong bond with them. She frequently visits her parents at her parental residence in Bangalore and has confessed that she always misses their presence in her current home in Prabhadevi, a neighbourhood in Mumbai. She is also a religious person and pays regular visits to Hindu temples and religious shrines.
She was in a relationship with Ranbir Kapoor after they shoot Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008. Deepika had taken that relationship a bit seriously and had a tattoo of Ranbir’s initials on her neck. But soon she realised that the relationship was not worth it and they got separated. In 2012, she started dating Ranveer Singh and opened up about their relationship in 2017. The couple was so satisfied and so much in love with each other that they got married in 2018 with all the Konkani and Sindhi traditions in Italy at Lake Como.
Deepika is a nice person and a trusted friend. She has lots of best friends in the Bollywood industry including Shah Rukh Khan, Farah Khan, Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, and Shahana Goswami among others.
Off-screen Personality
Deepika Padukone is not only a great actress but also a smart and socially aware person. She has written editorials for women’s health in fitness magazines and also supported charitable organisations. Her writing was so much appreciated that she was hired by the Hindustan Times for writing weekly columns for the lifestyle section. Through these columns, she has shared the details of her professional as well as personal life with her fans. She has also participated in the World 10K Bangalore marathon to raise funds.
She has performed in a concert tour named “SLAM! The Tour” across North America. She is also connected with the Olympic Gold Quest team which was established by her father and other supporters of Indian athletes. In 2013, she launched a clothing brand of her own in collaboration with Van Heusen. Later, she also collaborated with Myntra and launched another brand “All About You”. From the profit of her company, Ka enterprises, she has invested in Drums International, Blu Smart, an electric taxi start-up, and other companies.
Deepika is a socially active person and has raised her voice on various social issues like feminism and mental health issues. In 2020, she also attended the protest for students brutalised during the 2020 JNU attack and against the Citizenship Amendment Act for their support.
Summing Up
Deepika Padukone is a wonderful actress and a kind-hearted lady who has achieved a lot in her life at a young age. Her passion towards her dreams and her self-confidence have helped her to reach where she is today. In the early years of her acting career, she was criticised for her acting and personality, but she managed to overcome that negativity.
She also had a downfall after her breakup with Ranbir Kapoor but her dedication and discipline have helped her to bounce back in the industry with films like Cocktail, Chennai Express, and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. She has now become one of the most successful actresses in Bollywood and has earned a lot of fame in the industry. Deepika also ranks high in various lists of most attractive and high-grossing Indian celebrities.
In 2014, she was titled the “World’s Sexiest Woman” by FHM’s Indian edition. She has collaborated with various top brands like Maybelline, L'Oreal Paris, Coca-Cola, and Louis Vuitton, among others. She is the queen of many hearts and an inspirational figure for a large number of populations.
