I Think Like An Athlete

Deepika Padukone actor

- NAMRATA ZAKARIA

We first met in 2006 when you had just signed Om Shanti Om (2007). How different were you as a person then? Did you, at that time, anticipate your superstardom?

The person that I inherently am, when it comes to shyness and awkwardness, hasn’t changed. People talk of my success or confidence, but I am still such an introvert. I think a lot, I process a lot. Everything about me is internal, there is a lot going on in my head. But the little girl who left Bengaluru still exists in me. My upbringing and values are still the core of everything I do and every decision I make.

Did I anticipate the stardom? I knew I had a purpose; it’s just that my medium was cinema. My purpose was to make a positive impact. I wanted to challenge the system; I wanted to change ideas that people did not even question. Why can’t things be different or why can’t things be more than this? I knew I wanted to bring value and purpose into people’s lives and I just happened to do it through movies.

Q/ How is life after Pathaan (2023)? What has changed for you, work-wise, with a film that crossed ₹1,000 crore at the worldwide box office?

A/ It’s bizarre, because I’ve never been fascinated by numbers whether it was maths in school or the numbers of Pathaan. I was just happy that cinemas had come alive again, that people had come alive again. I was really grateful for that. But my journey sort of got its boost since Cocktail, 11 years ago. That is when people accepted what I could bring to the table as an actor. It’s because of what I bring to the table that Pathaan came to me. Of course, the film has now further cemented this.