As far as Indian cinema is concerned, Deepika Padukone is undoubtedly a key element of the industry right now. Especially when you consider her last few movies. Be it Naina Talwar, Leela, Piku Banerjee, Tara Maheshwari, Mastani or Rani Padmavati, her performances have always hit the bullseye. With just a handful of films, this tall beauty has even reached Hollywood. One of the very few Indian mainstream actresses to have done so.
From her appearances at the MET Gala and the Cannes film festival, I believe it’s safe to say, this 32-year-old, is killing it professionally!
All in all, Deepika has carved out a nice niche for herself in Indian cinema and is well on her way to establishing a firm global presence.
However, like every great personality, she has had her fair share of struggles as well. At pretty much the exact moment her career in Bollywood picked up, the actress was fighting a battle against depression.
During a recent interview with Evening Standard, the doe-eyed beauty spoke of having to cope with the illness internally, while for the outside world she was living the best days of her life. She says:
She continues on how even though she recovered from it through lifestyle changes and medication, she has now made it a life mission to curb the misconceptions surrounding depression in India.
Speaking of the foundation she established for this purpose, Live Love Laugh, she says:
“There are a lot of people who come and say that they contemplated committing suicide and after seeing the video interview that I’ve done, they actually understand what they were going through and their lives have changed. And that was the entire purpose of doing what I did. So I’m happy I made that decision to come out.”
Even the path till this point of career high was not an easy one for Padukone. As with every other aspiring actor trying to break into the industry, she has also had to face the blatant sexism Indian cinema is infamous for.
Recounting them Deepika says:
However, she chose not to give into any of these pieces of “advice”. She continues:
“It might be an easier way to achieve what you want to achieve. But I haven’t been that person; I’ve always followed my gut.”
Touching on the topic of the #MeToo movement, Deepika believes Bollywood is in a similar position as the rest of the world:
Given her recollection of the kind of “advice” she has received when she was starting out, we do hope her optimism regarding Bollywood and the #MeToo movement isn’t misplaced. Especially since barely any mainstream member of the fraternity has actually spoken out about it yet. However, considering her early professional struggles, it is a heartening reminder of how the actor has kept her grace throughout. We hope we get to see you carrying yourself with just as much elegance in all your future endeavours Deepika.