Deepika Padukone likes to weigh her words before she speaks. She considers the questions, pauses for a moment as if looking for the right phrase, and articulates her thoughts precisely. This attention to detail, emphasis on a considered opinion is not just limited to her interviews, it is evident in all aspects of her life and career. Those who have been following the promotional cycle of her upcoming movie, Gehraiyaan, are aware how the actor took a few days before she gave her nod to the film. A worried Shakun Batra, Gehraiyaan’s director, who had flown to London to narrate the script to her, approached producer Karan Johar in the meanwhile, worried if the actor had turned the film down. He need not have been concerned. Deepika is not one to ‘take spur of the moment decisions.’ “I know instantly after I get a narration if I want to do a film or not, but I don’t react on the spur of the moment. In my gut I know whether I am doing the film or not, but I still want to make sure I continue to feel like that for a day or two and then respond,” the actor says.
WATCH | Deepika Padukone opens up in an exclusive interview about husband Ranveer Singh being her loudest cheerleader, making bolder choices ahead of Gehraiyaan:
The process has left her in good stead. Having completed 15 years in the industry, the actor, who candidly confesses that she had no idea about Bollywood or acting when she landed on the sets of Om Shanti Om, is now one of the country’s top acting talents. “I have learnt everything by being on the film sets. I had no family, friends in the film industry. From being presented in the most beautiful way possible, to making wrong choices, making many mistakes, I have learnt from it all. I learnt how to pick up interesting characters and projects, I have grown a lot,” she accepts.
Deepika Padukone is waiting for the release of her next film Gehraiyaan. (Photo: Deepika Padukone/Instagram)
Talking of failures, are they harder to deal with when she is also in the producer’s chair? Deepika formed her production company, Ka Productions, in 2018. She has co-produced Chhapaak and 83, both critically acclaimed films whose box office business was considered underwhelming. She would rather not discuss the ‘economics of it’, focussing instead on emotional connect. “Emotionally when you are invested in a film, and the project and character mean a lot to you, it is most disappointing when for some reason, you are unable to communicate it to the audience. It can be shortfall in screenplay, performance, or direction; you can’t even pinpoint one reason, but it just doesn’t translate. If somewhere you feel you are not sure of the film and the audience doesn’t appreciate it, then you don’t feel that bad. You know that somewhere you made a wrong choice,” the actor says.
If you look at Deepika’s filmography, the wrong choices have been rare. The actor already has Yash Raj Films’ Pathan with Shah Rukh Khan, Fighter opposite Hrithik Roshan, tentatively titled Project K where she stars with Prabhas, The Intern remake, and an untitled project in which the actor is likely to play Draupadi. However, the focus is now on Gehraiyaan, headlined by Deepika alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa.
Talking about the film, Deepika says, “Shakun knows exactly knows what he wants but also while filming, he is discovering. Gehraiyaan has been my most memorable film experiences because you don’t often work with a crew, director and cast who are of a similar age group, think alike, have similar tastes and interests. I am glad for the synergy that happened, as a lot of love this film is receiving already has to do with that. That honesty, fun and transparency we had together, it reflects on screen.”
She describes Gehraiyaan’s Alisha as someone “who is keen on living a better life and at the same time, she carries a lot of anxiety and baggage of the past.” The actor, who believes a bit of each character you essay lives on in you, is earning a lot of kudos for experimenting and picking up bolder content.
Deepika gives some of that credit to her husband, actor Ranveer Singh. She calls him her cheerleader, her foremost fan. “I think because I have a cheerleader in him, I am able to make bolder choices,” she smiles, adding that she is also his ‘cheerleader’ but perhaps not as expressive about it. “I feel the same, but I am less expressive. He is someone who feels but is also able to articulate it. He is a tactile person, likes to hug and kiss. Me and my family are very different. We feel a lot, we are extremely sensitive and emotional people, but often we find it hard to communicate or articulate how we feel.”
However, over the years, Deepika accepts that they have rubbed off on each other. “I think we have. I have read some of his interviews, and he tells people that if I have not been in his life, his life would have turned out differently, he would have handled his success very differently. I appreciate that.”
Deepika, who recently asked her fans to choose her best performance in an online poll, is also ready to return the favour. Her favourite performance remains Shoojit Sirkar’s Piku in which she was seen with Irrfan Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.
And which one of her husband’s films is her favourite? Deepika takes one of her pregnant pauses but has a clear choice at the end of it. “I would say Band Baaja Baraat. I have seen Lootera, Gully Boy, and all of his other films. We have worked together in three films, but there was a certain rawness and innocence in that performance that trumps all of the other films he has done. Gully Boy is an all-time favourite performance of his, but right now if I have to say, it would be Band Baaja Baraat.”