Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone

She was born 5 January 1986) is an Indian film actress and model. She has established a successful career in Bollywood films, and is cited in the media as one of the most popular and attractive Indian celebrities.

Padukone, the daughter of the badminton player Prakash Padukone, was born in Copenhagen and raised in Bangalore. As a teenager she played badminton in national level championships, but left her career in sport to become a fashion model. She soon received offers for film roles, and made her acting debut in 2006 as the titular character of the Kannada film Aishwarya. Padukone then played dual roles in her first Bollywood release the 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Om and won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.Alongside her acting career, Padukone participates in stage shows, has written columns for an Indian newspaper, and is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products. Her off-screen life is the subject of fervent tabloid reporting in India.



Early life

Deepika Padukone was born on 5 January 1986 in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Konkani-speaking parents. Her father, Prakash, is a former badminton player of international repute, and her mother, Ujjala, is a travel agent. Her younger sister, Anisha, is a golfer. Her paternal grandfather, Ramesh, was secretary of the Mysore Badminton Association for many years. The family relocated to Bangalore, India, when Padukone was a year old.She was educated at Bangalore's Sophia High School, and completed her pre-university education at Mount Carmel College.She subsequently enrolled at the Indira Gandhi National Open University for a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology
 
Modelling and Acting career


Padukone has admitted to being socially awkward as a child, and did not have many friends.The focus of her life was badminton, which she played competitively from a young age. Describing her daily routine in a 2012 interview, Padukone said, "I would wake up at five in the morning, go for physical training, go to school, again go for playing badminton, finish my homework and go to sleep. Padukone continued to pursue a career in badminton throughout her school years, and played the sport in national level championships. She also played baseball in a few state level tournaments. While concentrating on her education and sporting career, Padukone also worked as a child model, first appearing in a couple of advertising campaigns at the age of eight.In the tenth grade, she changed focus and decided to become a fashion model. She later explained, "I realised that I was playing the game only because it ran in the family. So, I asked my father if I could give up the game and he wasn't upset at all.In 2004, she began a full-time career as a model under the tutelage of Prasad Bidapa.Acting career
Padukone announced in 2006 that she would make her film debut with Aishwarya, a Kannada film directed by Indrajit Lankesh.The romantic comedy was a remake of the Telugu film Manmadhudu, and she was cast in the titular role opposite the actor Upendra. The film proved a major commercial success.RG Vijayasarathy of Rediff.com was appreciative of Padukone's screen presence but added that she needs to work on her emotional scenes.

Personal life

Padukone shares a close bond with her family, and visits them regularly in her hometown of Bangalore. She lives by herself in Prabhadevi, a neighbourhood in Mumbai, and admits to missing the presence of her family there.She says, "I miss them, but luckily I have a life of my own, which keeps me from getting homesick. I wouldn’t want them to uproot their lives from Bengaluru just to be with me."A practicing Hindu, Padukone considers religion to be an important aspect of her life and makes frequent visits to temples and other religious shrines. She has also been outspoken on issues such as feminism and has said, "New feminism isn't about being aggressive; it's about reaching the top yet being soft. It's about being you feminine, strong and full of will power.

While filming Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008, Padukone began a romantic relationship with co-star Ranbir Kapoor. She spoke openly about the relationship and sported a tattoo of his initials on the nape of her neck.She has said that the relationship had a profound effect on her, transforming her into a more confident and social person. The Indian media speculated on an engagement, and reported that this had occurred in November 2008, although Padukone had stated that she had no plans to marry within the next five years.The couple broke up a year later she professed in an interview to feeling "angry" and "betrayed" for a long time, but insisted that they remained on good terms.In a 2010 interview, Padukone made a comment that the media speculated was a reference to her break-up with Kapoor.

Padukone is an active celebrity endorser for several brands and products, including Tissot, Sony Cyber-shot, Nescafe, Vogue eyewear, Maybelline and Pepsi, among others.In 2012, it was reported that Padukone had signed on for an endorsement deal with Garnier worth INR60 million (US$970,000), a record breaking remuneration for an Indian actress.