I Can Quit Everything And Live The Life I Was Living In Bangalore: Deepika Padukone

In a quick chat, actress Deepika Padukone talks about gender equality, equal pay issues in B-Town, her success, her desire to do an action film and her love for parents. 

Actress Deepika Padukone is definitely the most sought after and a bankable actress in B-Town with her last hit with Piku this year and three big hits in 2013 – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express and Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. The actress is gearing up for her next release Tamasha opposite Ranbir Kapoor which releases soon.

We live in a male dominant society where Bollywood as an industry has always been dominated by men. However, Deepika does not believe in gender inequality and has grown up in a household where her mother has been a strong support to her father (Prakash Padukone) and he has been a support system to Deepika. “Fortunately, there has never been this gender disparity in my growing up years. I’d like to believe that a man has the same sort of role in a woman’s life and her career.” Indian Express>

The actress might be one of the highest paid actresses in Bollywood today but does not deny the pay gap in the film industry. She believes, “there is too much emphasis on the pay gap in Bollywood. There is a situation and there’s no running away from it. I look into the situation and not whine about it but look how different things were earlier and how the situation has improved already”.

In spite of being the most preferred actress today, Deepika does not equate success to anything tangible. She says, “The number of lives you can impact in a positive way through your work or your life is success to me.”

After being the leading lady opposite stars like Shahrukh Khan, Irrfan Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, the actress desires to do an action film and feels it has not been explored or done to full potential in India as compared to the West. The actress likes to take every role or film challenging and finds a way to bring freshness into it. After giving so many hits, the actress still feels nervous on a film set and confesses, “I get butterflies in my stomach not knowing what I am going to do on a film set and I like that nervousness”.

Having being written off after her first film, Om Shanti Om, the actress believes very little in the luck factor for her success and is someone who believes in working hard and is very patient. She says, “being patient is something that we are all losing very fast especially with today’s youngsters, I feel they want everything instantly”.

Very few parents are supportive of their children especially daughters entering the film industry that too when their family background is sports. Deepika has been very lucky in that case as her parents have always been very supportive and never made her doubt her decision. However, things were different after her first film. “I was on my own after the first film. I was presented so well and I felt that’s how it is always going to be but it was not”. She was written off and learnt things on her own. She is a fighter and does not accept situations so easily but used this phase as a learning experience.

The actress moved away from her hometown, Bangalore and her parents at a very young age to work here in Mumbai. She misses them and is concerned for her parents as they do not live with her here in Mumbai and misses the time that she can get with them as they age older. However, after coming such a long way in Bollywood where only a few lucky ones get to experience this taste of success, she is even ready to quit everything and live a normal life. “With the same sort of happiness, I can give up everything and live the life I was living in Bangalore”, signs off Deepika.