Why Deepika Padukone is the most fearless woman in Bollywood right now

Dubai: Let’s get one thing straight — Deepika Padukone doesn’t need anyone’s validation. She’s the real OG boss lady, the kind of woman who doesn’t need to shout to be heard.

In an industry that thrives on noise and inflated egos, she leads with calm, conviction, and class. A decade ago, when India barely acknowledged mental health as a real issue, Deepika stood up and said, “I’ve been there.” That one admission flipped the national conversation about acknowledging depression and anxiety as a disease that can be treated and managed.

Fast forward to her yesterday's CNBC interview, and she’s still doing what she does best: leading uncomfortable but necessary conversations with grace.

When the host pointed out how mental illness — unlike a fracture or a fever — can’t be seen, Deepika agreed, explaining how that invisibility deepens the stigma. Her response was measured and full of empathy. No theatrics. No preaching. Just clarity and compassion.

I’ve met her several times over the years — on the Happy New Year set in Dubai and later during Gehraiyaan promotions — and she’s always the same: poised, grounded, and completely in control of her space. Did I tell you, she also has incredible glass skin. And, she doesn’t do small talk for the sake of it. When she speaks, it’s intentional, never careless.

Now, about that CNBC interview with that wonderful host/managing editor Shereen Bhan— it was Deepika at her boldest.

“Our industry is brutal,” she said, calling out how Bollywood romanticises chaos and punishing work hours.

“If something can be better, I’ll question it.” And she wasn’t mincing words. She was talking about fair working conditions — including eight-hour shifts for women.

Here’s where it gets funny. Akshay Kumar once proudly told me in Ras Al Khaimah, while shooting for Airlift, that he only works eight hours a day. It was said with pride, discipline, even admiration. Nobody called him difficult. But when Deepika advocates the same, it’s suddenly a “controversy.” “Why should it be any different for women?” she asked. Exactly.

That’s her power — she doesn’t demand equality; she states it like a fact. Calmly, confidently, unapologetically.

And she’s never hidden behind that carefully constructed Bollywood façade of “perfect womanhood.”

Remember when she casually mentioned that her relationship with Ranveer Singh — before they married — wasn’t exclusive at the start? That kind of honesty is practically illegal in Bollywood, where fake chastity and pretend perfection still win you brownie points. But Deepika’s never been one to sell a lie for approval. She’s made peace with her choices — and that’s what makes her real.

And then there was her now-iconic JNU moment. In the middle of India’s most polarised cultural war, when silence had become the safest PR strategy, Deepika Padukone showed up. No speeches. No hashtags. No “both sides” spin. She simply stood with students protesting a brutal campus attack. It was an anti-establishment power move that cost her career heavily.

But that polarising image of her — still, stoic, and alone in a crowd — was political dynamite. Bollywood scrambled to distance itself. Producers panicked. Troll armies went into overdrive. But Deepika didn’t blink. She didn’t issue clarifications or conveniently say she was “there by coincidence.” She owned it.

That’s when I realised — Deepika Padukone isn’t political by ideology. She’s political by instinct. She knows that neutrality is a privilege only the powerful can afford. And by simply showing up, she broke the unwritten Bollywood code: never upset the establishment.

She paid the price for it too — boycotts, abuse, and thinly-veiled warnings that her career was “finished.” Except it wasn’t. She came back stronger, bigger, and even more bulletproof. Because that’s what happens when your brand is integrity.

That’s the thing about Deepika, the daughter of India's badminton champion Prakash Padukone and Ujjala — she plays the long game. She fights her battles quietly and wins them elegantly.

It’s no wonder global giants like Cartier and Louis Vuitton keep choosing her. She isn’t a pretty face in designer clothes; she’s the embodiment of modern Indian womanhood — self-made, self-aware, and done with pretending.

“I have this deep need to be ridiculously honest and authentic, even if it means making mistakes or saying things people don’t agree with,” she told CNBC. That line could easily double as her life motto.

And honestly? It’s not every day you get an activist who looks equally devastating in a cotton salwar, a full-sleeved kurta, or a custom Louis Vuitton gown dripping in Cartier jewels. One great quote. One great cause. And one woman in Bollywood who’s changing the script — beautifully.