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Deepika is tired of comparisons with Kareena
As this wide-eyed teenager I remember seeing the film and wondering who the director was. I remember many year ago when I was a model Imtiaz had offered me a film. At that time I wasn’t ready for an acting career”. I've truly fallen in love this time: Deepika Padukone
Post Om Shanti Om (OSO) how has your life changed?
All this is very new for me. My father (bandmintom champ Prakash Padukone) was also a celebrity. But we were never exposed to much media coverage.
Before I went into the modeling profession I did go into my dad's profession—it was the expected thing. I played bandminton at the national level.But I realized my heart was set on modeling.
Movies weren't even in my range of vision. But after two years of modeling I started getting film offers I was only 18 then. I didn't want to jump into anything.
What took you down south?
You mean my Kannada film Aishwarya? I am from Karnataka and it was directed by a young and talented man Indrajit Lankesh. And I was paired with a huge Kannada star Upendra.
Did you speak your own lines?
Yes I did. I learnt Kannada in school. Farah Khan had already offered me OSO. But we were to shoot a year later. So I did the Kannada film.
You remind me of Aishwarya Rai.
I'd take that as a compliment. I grew up watching her. When I was in school I remember how thrilled I was when she won Miss World. Ash and Sushmita are people I've admired.
You're still young. Don't you miss doing the normal things?
I do the normal things. I've life away from my work. But yes, I definitely feel a lot older than girls my age.I started working and moved out of home at a very young age. I tried to work out of my home- town Bangalore. But like it or not Mumbai is the mecca for the glamour and entertainment industry.
Do you miss Bangalore?
Is Mumbai a lonely city?
No definitely not. I've lots of friends in Bombay. And I haven't changed for them, nor they for me.Yes, certain people around me have changed. But people who are really important to me, that's my parents and my childhood friends are with me.
One needs to have friends outside one's profession to interact and to share one's life with. Otherwise I'm not the party-hopping kind.
What do you and Ranbir talk about?
Well…we do know what's going on in each other's careers. But otherwise we try to keep cinema out of our conversation. We try not to get into one another work space.
It's amazing but both of you started your careers in Hindi as fierce rivals in Saawariya and OSO?
That rivalry was more media-created than anything else. Comparing me with Sonam was so uncalled-for. We come from two totally space. We started differently. She assisted Mr Sanjay Bhansali.
I come from the modeling world. And our debut vehicles are so different. Fortunately we were too involved with our own projects and had no time to think of each other as competition.
You started with Shah Rukh Khan as a co-star. Can it get any bigger?
You have acquired the reputation of being extremely choosy.
Yes. Every project takes up so much of your time. You've to be sure of what you're doing. So often I say no because I don't have the time. I meet every director who wants to meet me. I do consult my parents.
It would be unfair to distance them from my career just because they aren't part of the entertainment industry. But the final decision is mine.
Your dad is a celebrity in his own right.
Yes but nothing to do with the entertainment industry. During his time sportspersons didn't do endorsements, advertisements. I'm really close to both my parents.
Ever since I moved to Mumbai it's a different kind of relationship with them. The fact that we live in different cities has brought us closer. I feel much closer to them. Sometimes I feel bad at the unwanted attention they get because of me.
They're bombarded with all kinds of questions about me. It wasn't like that during their times. My parents are very simple reason.
Is the image of the boyfriend deserter hurtful?
The media needs to be a little restrained. I am a simple girl and from a respectable family. And loose talk about me harms my reputation.
One day like any other girl I intend to settle down and have children. How would those write-ups look at that time? I'm so glad I've found a man who comes from the same space and understands the pitfalls of sensational journalism.
I feel after a point no one will take these write-ups making a tamasha out of my life seriously.
Why did you and Ranbir decide to go public about your mutual feelings?
Because this is the first time I've actually and truly fallen in love. Being in love is the lovelist feeling. When two people are getting close they need time to understand one another.
Did the earlier link ups collapse because of excessive attention they got?
Quite possible. At the end of the day it was just destiny that I was meant to be with Ranbir. And we're very happy together.
Do you get time to be with one another?
We try to be together as much as possible. We did a film together Bachna Ae Haeseon. That's when we got close. We had met and interacted earlier. But we didn't get a chance to know each other well enough.
He was busy with his film. I was busy with mine. We were both under all kinds of pressure. Everything became very messy.In Australia when we shot together we started afresh. We almost met like two new people.
There was no baggage to be carried forward from the past. Because even in the past we didn't part bitterly.
Deepika & my pics not sleazy!
There's a definite design to demolish Upen Patel's reputation. And Upen knows who's behind the smearing schemes.
"I'm being made out to be this publicity hungry woman-eating casanova with nothing better to do than chase skirts. I know exactly who's behind these."
Apparently a certain section of the industry is determined to hold Upen up for ridicule. Off the record he names some people who have in some way or other felt slighted threatened or rejected by the actor.
"But the truth is I'm not here to take up a panga with anyone. I'm accused of having a temper problem. Fine. But do I display my temper unnecessarily? I got into a situation with the 123 director Ashwin Dheer.
But did you see how silly I looked in 123, specially when I take my shirt off in the middle of a song, everyone laughed when it wasn't meant to be funny."
Upen takes a deep breath. "I'm accused of being the kiss-and-tell type. Will anyone, even my closest friends, be able to claim I've shared my girlfriend secrets with anyone? I'm not that kind of a guy."
What about the stories of Upen whizzing past Mumbai's fast lanes with Tabu? "Did I call up journalists and say I'm seeing the lady? Did I plant stories of our friendship? No!
The next thing I hear Tabu is upset with me, For what? What have I done?…or Tanissha for that matter. I've been shouting from rooftops that I'm single. Will someone please listen to me?"
When other actor's past rares its head it's often a ugly occurrence, But Upen Patel feels he's being hounded for a perfectly normal past….sans hankypanky.
"The latest attempt to force me unnecesarily into a corner is a group of pictures featuring me and Deepika Padukone released on the net by someone who has nothing better to do.Now I'm being accused of leaking out those pictures! What would I gain by doing something so silly? It's not as if they're sleazy pictures.
They're part of mine and Deepika's modeling days. We shot the photo-spread for a men's magazine. What's wrong with that? I've shot similar pics with other model-friends like Yana Gupta.
What is the point of bringing them out? If they're meant to embarrass the lady, then they don't work. I'm very proud of my modeling days and all that I did back then."
Upen insists he knows who his enemies are. "But I won't give them the pleasure of publicity by naming them. Neither will I let them demoralize me. I came to Mumbai from London with a dream.
Today I've made a place for myself and for my sister whose modeling agency is doing very well. I will make it big without being a star-son or having godfathers and sugar daddys in the industry."
Deepika Padukone ignores Gauri Khan
Deepika didn't notice Gauri Khan who produced her successful film Om Shanti Om at the Lakme Fashion Week when she walked closely with her would be mother-in-law Neetu Singh and paid no attention to Gauri who was also present at the occasion. Neetu and Deepika were busy cheering for Ranbir who walked the ramp for designer Arjun Khanna. A source present at the occasion said, "She did not even say hello to Gauri and completely ignored her”.
This is not the only incident. Deepika had also once forgotten to wish the director of OSO, Farah Khan on her birthday. Farah really got hurt by her behavior and said that she is used to this type of behavior as she knows how the industry works. But Deepika dumps the matter saying that though she forgot to wish Farah on her birthday, she congratulated her on becoming a mother of triplets.
