I hope people tell stories that are in their hearts without fear: Deepika Padukone

The audience is giving us cues and telling us they are ready for content they haven’t seen before: Deepika

We have witnessed many shades of Deepika Padukone unfold on screen — glamourous, romantic, brave, real and royal. And every time, shecomes shining through, revealing yet another facet of her talent and her willingness to wade through unvisited territories as an actor. Even if that means going into the deep end, Deepika takes the plunge. With Gehraiyaan, releasing on Amazon Prime Video on February 11, she is taking one of her deepest outings ever. In a conversation with us, she talks about her fascination for relatable stories, what prompts actors to make brave choices, and how we are constantly finding ourselves in everything that we do. Deep, huh? Read on...

You have featured in films like Cocktail and Tamasha, where relationships and love have been explored, but not entirely in the conventional way. Now, we will see you in Gehraiyaan, about which you have said, ‘This is my first of its kind.’ Would you say that you get drawn to subjects that delve into this space with a certain honesty and realism, while breaking barriers on various levels?

I think with Gehraiyaan, I really wanted to work with Shakun Batra and that was the starting point for me. Beyond that, even while growing up, I was drawn to stories that were more relatable and realistic. I think it comes from my fascination with everything that is as close to real life as possible. Even if I am sitting at home and watching a film on OTT, I am more likely to watch something like this versus maybe a fantastical sort of film. In my 15-year-long career, I have done all sorts of films — from a Chennai Express and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani to Piku and now Gehraiyaan, and of course, I enjoy all of them, but this genre,specifically,where characters are true to life has a special place in my heart.