Deepika Padukone has certainly come a long way and proved her mettle with the variety in her performances in the last few years. The actress admits that she values appreciation for her work more than anything else.
“Appreciation is important. What do we work for? If I work hard for my film and if my work is not appreciated, then what is the point?” Padukone said in a group interview.
“In fact, money is the least important thing and success also is not so important. The love and appreciation that we get is important and valuable,” she added.
The actress made a bang of a Bollywood debut with a double role in Om Shanti Om, but after that, she was panned by critics for being wooden-faced.
But the tables turned when she sailed through her roles in films like Cocktail, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela.
Even critics marvelled at her improved skills, but the model-turned-actress says “being a heroine is not easy”.
“It looks very glamorous and looks like a great life, but there is a lot of hard work behind it,” said badminton legend Prakash Padukone’s daughter, who had an easy entry into tinsel town, but had to go through the grind to find a firm foothold in the industry.
Padukone feels proud to have a comfortable roof on her head — something she couldn’t afford earlier.
“At the end of the day, we have to lead a decent lifestyle. But all I am trying to say is that the most important thing is appreciation,” she added.
Her recent choice of films has resonated well with the audience as well as the box office, but Padukone says she doesn’t make a conscious effort to choose films that can make the most money.
“I don’t choose films based on whether it’s going to do business of Rs100 crore [Rs1 billion, Dh59 million] or Rs200 crore. If so, then we are doing films for the wrong reasons.
“For me, [the] box office is not important in the process of making a film. If I’m being true to the film, then it’s good. You have to choose films from your heart.
“A film should be done for the script. The destiny of the film is different, but I have to enjoy the process,” she said.
Her next release, Happy New Year, one of the most talked about films in Bollywood right now, is coming out on October 24, a day after Diwali. She will be seen alongside her Om Shanti Om co-star Shah Rukh Khan.
Padukone says director Farah Khan was looking for a new girl for the mega-budget multi-starrer before casting her.
She said: “They wanted a new girl in the beginning. After Chennai Express, I got a call from Farah, and she said she wants me in her film. I didn’t even hear the narration and said, ‘Yes’, and luckily, the dates worked out,” she said.
“It happened [at the] last minute. They didn’t find a girl and they came to me and I am happy that I could fit the film,” she added.
Her immediate nod came because of her bonding with Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan since her Om Shanti Om days.
“Farah and Shah Rukh gave me such a beautiful launch, they had presented me so well. They took such good care of me. They understand the responsibilty that this girl’s career is in their hands,” she said, and added that she will be thankful to both of them irrespective of the box office performance of Happy New Year.
Happy New Year also features Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah and Jackie Shroff.
