The Making of Brand Deepika Padukone “yes... I Am a Product of Learning on the Job”

Vanity fair has featured her in a prestigious portfolio of ‘Hollywood’s next generation’ and Forbes has listed her as the 10th richest actress in the world - the only Indian actress on this list! Yes, the world seems to be Deepika Padukone’s oyster. And it’s fascinating to see how she has got here.

- Sangeeta Wadhwani

SHOOTING STARS COME ALONG EVERYDAY. THE STRANGE ALCHEMY THAT KEEPS A STAR ON THE RISE, THE SHEER LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE OF A STAR’S LAMBENCY, ARE AS HARD TO PREDICT AS THE WEATHER IN AUCKLAND. HELLO! MEETS A LADY WHO HAS SOMEHOW RETAINED HER GIRL-NEXT-DOOR SIMPLICITY DESPITE A BLINDING TRAJECTORY AS A GLAMAZON, ACTOR, DANCER AND PEOPLE’S PERSON. FROM EUPHORIA TO DEPRESSION, HEARTACHE TO HEARTSTOPPING PORTRAYALS, SHE HAS SEEN IT ALL IN HER DECADE OF CINEMATIC FAME. HERE, WE DECODE A WOMAN WHO HAS BECOME A BRAND, QUITE ORGANICALLY, PUTTING TOGETHER PIECES OF HER LIFE’S PUZZLE. FANTASTICALLY, THE MAP OF HER LIFE IS ONLY EXPANDING, AND NOW ENCOMPASSES HOLLYWOOD’S ‘SUNRISE BOULEVARD’ AS WELL. EVEN AS WE SPEAK, DEEPIKA PADUKONE IS FINDING THE MANY SUBPLOTS OF POTENTIAL WITHIN HERSELF. AS ARE WE...

Flashback. Setting: The HELLO! Hall of Fame Awards, 2013.

What: Deepika Padukone is winning the ‘Superstar of the Year’ award. How: She cuts a sylph-like picture, in a bodycon red gown, hair pulled back and get this – NO accessories, save for a soul-searing sweetness in that dimpled smile.

The Interaction: When she settles down to chat, the first thing she shares is how moved she is when the paparazzi guys call her by her screen name from Chennai Express. “That makes me feel successful as an actor. And I recognised so many of the photographers... they have all been there along my journey, it was lovely to be so honoured. I know them by their first names. ”