Deepika Padukone has no reservations - Gulf News
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She admits to being at a loss regarding personal experience of caste-based reservations, but Deepika Padukone has no qualms speaking her mind, as she does about her latest film Aarakshan
- By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:00 August 7, 2011
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Bollywood siren Deepika Padukone had a privileged upbringing. The daughter of one of India's top badminton players, she was a rising sports star when the modelling bug bit. Then came acting.
After making her debut in a South Indian film in 2006, Padukone earned a starring role alongside Bollywood's biggest star Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om in 2007.
Now, as she embarks on an off-beat role in Aarakshan (Reservation), based on India's notorious caste system, she is quick to admit that the issue was not entirely familiar to her.
"For many Indians, the reservation issue is a hard-hitting reality. But honestly, I didn't feel for the issue strongly, because I have never really experienced it in my own life. And I truly feel that unless a person doesn't experience it for real, the importance and impact varies. But I have a learnt a lot about the issue during the filming," she tells tabloid!.
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"I speak my mind and I speak honestly. I am not a celebrity who just makes controversial statements to sound interesting or to shock people. I can never do that."
Directed by acclaimed director Prakash Jha, Aarakshan tackles the sensitive subject of the reservation of seats and jobs based on people's social class as opposed to merit. The issue has caused major protests around the country recently.
The ensemble drama is massive in its scale and boasts an eclectic cast also comprising Saif Ali Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Prateik Babbar and Manoj Bajpai. But Padukone, 25, claims that the serious topic has been dealt with a deft hand. "It's not your run-of-the-mill romantic film with many song-and-dance sequences in it.
"It's in a different space where a socially relevant issue is brought [to the fore]. And it talks about [the] commercialisation of [the] education system in our country an issue that has come up because of reservations."
Unlike her glam-goddess avatars in Om Shanti Om or Bachna Ae Haseeno, Padukone plays Poorbi Anand who is torn between the love of her life (a lower class Dalit teacher played by Khan) and her father (Bachchan).
"Poorbi is strong, independent and sensitive that's what drew me to the role. This is my second serious role after my event-based film," says Padukone referring to her freedom fighter role in Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, a period drama based on the historical Chittagong Uprising.
Since her Bollywood debut in 2007, Padukone has acted in over a dozen films. Like many other actresses, her career graph is a mixed bag of good and bad performances. While she was panned for her questionable dramatic skills in the romantic comedy Break Ke Baad, she impressed when it came to playing an independent, career-oriented girl in Bachna Ae Haseeno.
"I have not become complacent or anything. Even today, I am nervous while facing the camera. I have a long way to go before I even become comfortable. And a film like Aarakshan with its talented cast is helping me gain that kind of confidence," she says.
Father and son
Not surprisingly, she takes extreme pride in the fact that she is one of the few actresses who can boast of acting with both Bachchan and his son, Abhishek Bachchan (in Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey), in her young career.
"In some ways, I feel a sense of achievement or call it even satisfaction. Just to watch Mr Amitabh Bachchan function is a treat in itself. He's so in control of every scene, so well put together."
She had more compliments for co-star Babbar. "Prateik was like a breath of fresh air. There was this air of uncertainty and spontaneity about him. Imagine he is talking to you he will just switch on and off. His mind is all over the place. It was just so fascinating."
Her on-screen lover, Khan, falls somewhere in between Bachchan and Babbar, she says.
"As for me, I looked all collected and composed, but inside I was so jittery and nervous. Having said that, it was such a pleasure watching all these talents come together and perform. I couldn't have asked for more."
Her personal life is equally vibrant. The grapevine has it that she is dating business scion Siddharth Mallya. But the Bengaluru-bred beauty is not in the mood to confirm or deny the link-up. Instead, she opts for the philosophical route.
"One of the best parts of being a celebrity is the warmth and love you get from your fans, but the worst part is the constant speculation about your personal life and every move that you make."
Though it's difficult to empathise with her poor-little-rich-star diatribe, she is often shocked about the reports that are churned out. She is still reeling from the news that she had a fall-out with her peer Kareena Kapoor, her co-star's Khan's girlfriend. Word has it that the two didn't see eye to eye ever since acclaimed director Imtiaz Ali chose Padukone as his heroine for his modern love tale Love Aaj Kal.
Kareena and I bonded'
For all those who came in late, Ali altered Kapoor's career by giving her a meaty role in Jab We Met, but shocked everybody when he chose to make his next venture with the fresher Padukone alongside Khan.
"It's very upsetting to read such reports. The fact is that Kareena and I bonded really well when she came to visit Saif in London. We even spent some time together, hung out. The media seems to be creating all this rift," she claims.
However, her next few words put things into better perspective. Asked if two Bollywood actresses from the same rung of power and position can ever become friends, she says: "That's [a] tough one, because at the end of the day we are competing with one another. And that's good. Competition is always good. But just because we are not friends doesn't mean that we are not cordial to one another."
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