Being a winner has made me fearless, says Deepika Padukone
No one in Bollywood right now perhaps knows what savouring success means as Deepika Padukone does. She has been on top of the box- office game, won all the awards this season, and has the best of banners lining up to sign her.
The theme at this year's India Today Conclave 2014- Winning- would thus seem just apt for the statuesque superstar.
Deepika chooses to underplay any overwhelming notion about her success. "I guess it must all be very good for me right now because everyone seems to be saying so. As far as I am concerned, I was always confident I was doing well," she states confidently when asked about her glorious run at the box- office.
Winning, she adds, does not have a particular formula.
"Success is always all about being someone you want to be. I don't think you are being honest otherwise," she says.
Having faced the tough life on her way up, she contends, has helped her understand success. "I moved to another city at the age of 18 or 19," she recalls, about moving to Mumbai from Bangalore, her hometown. "Being in sports early on taught me to handle success just as it taught me handle failure." It is perhaps the reason why she insists she has no trouble handling the pressure of expectation that comes with being a winner. "On the other hand, being a winner has only made me fearless. The support I have had from fans and critics alike has given me courage. It is a kind of courage that lets me pick an English film (refers to her upcoming Finding Fanny Fernandes) after my last year that was so- called commercial.
The spirited hostess of the session Koel Purie will, of course, not let Deepika only talk of career and success. Talk veers onto her personal life.
"For me being in a relationship is important, but it has to be a beautiful one - one that fills you. If it pulls you down, I'm not sure it is the right place to be." Is she talking of a certain Ranbir Kapoor, perhaps? "Ranbir and I don't live in a movie. Did the breakup affect me? It's not something that has crossed my mind. But moving on has made me a better person, and him too (I can quote him on that). That phase of my life makes me realise one shouldn't be too attached to one person." On rumours of her relationship with Ranveer Singh, Deepika is guarded. "I am in a stage of life where I don't want to rush into anything. Be sure of the person you land up with." The session gets its light moments as Purie announces her plans of a 'truth or dance' gig early on - she has a buzzer, and whenever she feels Deepika is not giving out the entire truth, she would press it, and the actress has to dance. Sporting as ever, Deepika does so twice, on the second occasion she is joined by Kalki Koechlin, who is sitting in the audience and also Purie herself.
Random banter follows when Purie prods Deepika too much about her personal life. "Hey, this was supposed to be about my career and success," quips Deepika. "Do you want me to be a relationship adviser for you?" But then, Deepika is pragmatic.
"I know constant scrutiny is part of the set- up in which I work," she contends. "But I have a right to keep some of my life to myself."
Comments