Deepika Padukone
I don't want to be typecast as a heroine who does a certain kind of cinema, which is why I experiment with the types of films that I do. But yes, I won't deny that romantic love stories or romantic comedies are what I enjoy doing the most, because as an audience those are the kind of films that I like watching.Collection: Romantic
Maybe because I am from a sports background, I don't give up easily. I am a fighter.Collection: Sports
I meditate. I breathe out what I can't control and focus on the positives.Collection: Positive
Diwali means family, so either I go down to Bangalore, or my family comes to Mumbai. I always ensure I take a few days off.Collection: Family
I feel ups and downs are a part of one's career, and this totally depends on how you take it. You can either be knocked down by the negative things, or you can take it in a positive way and learn from it.Collection: Positive
The fruit of your own hard work is the sweetest.Collection: Work
Of course! It takes a lot of strength to mend a broken heart. Channelising energies into your work helps, but also to be able to accept situations for what they are instead of questioning them helps immensely.Collection: Strength
I have a lot of friends, but my biggest fear is loneliness. I miss my family in Mumbai, and my biggest nightmare every day is to go back home alone.Collection: Alone
I wish to be appreciated not only as a film star but also for the person I am. If I manage to bring a smile on people's faces, then I think I'll be successful.Collection: Smile
People talk about physical fitness, but mental health is equally important. I see people suffering, and their families feel a sense of shame about it, which doesn't help. One needs support and understanding. I am now working on an initiative to create awareness about anxiety and depression and help people.Collection: Fitness
I am someone who can't hold on to negativity or hold on to grudges. I might feel something at a certain point, but I get tired after that. I don't carry it with me. I forgive and forget very easily, and that's the only way to be happy and peaceful.
Being sad and being depressed are two different things. Also, people going through depression don't look so, while someone sad will look sad. The most common reaction is, 'How can you be depressed? You have everything going for you. You are the supposed number one heroine and have a plush home, car, movies... What else do you want?'
My character in 'Cocktail' was different from my personality. Homi Adajania took me to London, showed me how girls dress and behave there. I had not seen that kind of lifestyle before.
I am not very comfortable about dancing at weddings and New Year parties. Maybe it's because of the way I have been brought up; I wouldn't want my family to feel that cringe moment. Dance is an art for me.
I was born in Copenhagen, and when I was a year old, we moved to Bangalore. I was always a shy person and was happy with just a few friends and that came from my own social awkwardness. I did not know how to make conversations.
While I believe that when you are in the glamour industry, you have to look your best, I also believe being skinny is not 'hot and happening.'
Comfort is of great importance to me. I really want to encourage girls to dress in whatever they feel comfortable in and not get bogged down by fashion trends.
I'm a strong believer in the fact that women are born to multi-task. God has made us like that.
Every film teaches you something; every experience on every film set with every co-star teaches you something. You learn something new. I think the challenge is to keep working harder and doing better.
'Piku' was driven by subtleties. Most films come with the padding of the sound, the visual, the drama.
I need to be loved. I need to be nurtured. I also need peace and stability in my relationships. I can't be in volatile relationships.
My parents have been very supportive, in fact, it was my mother who identified that what I was going through was actually depression. My family and friends never let me feel as if something was wrong with me. They made me feel that what I was going through was okay. They supported my decision to take medication for depression.
I am a big foodie, so much so that I eat in every half an hour. This is the secret of my glowing skin.
Preparation is definitely important, but it depends on the kinds of roles I do. Like, I completely identify with my character in 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.' I had to be myself and I didn't have to actually prepare for it.
Comedy is the most difficult. Comic timing is something which you either have it in you, or you don't. You have to have a good sense of humour to be able to understand it. A split second can make you lose the punch.
I have always believed that chemistry can't be created between two people. You either have it or you don't. The script can only enhance it.
For me, competition is good; that is what keeps me on my toes and keeps me going. I am always trying to better my own work, do better than my earlier films... do films that are challenging and exciting for me.
At some level, I feel it is nice to know that a film of yours is doing well at the box office and has also got great reviews. That feels like success.
The best feeling is when you are remembered for the character you play on the screen and people associate you with that character. There is no better feeling than that feeling.
It's good to be slightly ambitious, but I believe one shouldn't be too calculative. It's good to be on the edge, but I have never followed my mind. I have always followed my heart. And it has yielded the right results.
I have always been focused on my job. No profession allows you the luxury of being half-focused. If you're not into it, you're not there. And the film industry is all the more harsh in these cases, perhaps because it's a business of the limelight.
My parents never raised their hand or fired me. Their way of disciplining me was to tell me what is right or wrong.
Even though I played national level badminton, I told my parents when I was in 10th that I was not interested in continuing. Being a model or actor fascinated me from a young age, and I even did a couple of ads when I was just eight years old.
There is a strong side to me, that is of a homemaker. I look forward to spending time at home in the evenings, cooking a meal, chatting with my parents and inviting friends over.
I still live as normal a life as anybody else. I have two homes to run. I have my staff to take care of. I work, pay bills and attend society meetings like everybody else.
I am methodical to the point of being obsessive-compulsive. And I have always been good at multi-tasking.
Everybody doesn't get to do each and every film. I don't compete with others; I compete with myself. I have been an athlete, a sportsperson; so I know how to be competitive in a healthy way.
I try and work out as often as possible. Since I travel very often, it becomes very difficult to have a daily work out routine, but I practice yoga every day or try and play some sport. Also, I am very aware of what suits my body in terms of food and exercise.
Relationships or not, I believe that people don't need to know about my life beyond a certain point.
I don't think I am a star; I consider myself like any other girl who is of my age. Others may be working in office and doing different jobs. Similarly I don't think I am doing something different... I am also working.
I don't think you need any kind of backing here in the industry. I think what you achieve in your life is the result of your own talent and hard work.
To me, the mind and body are one. I'm very transparent, in a way, and people can very easily make out what mood I'm in.
I guess I learnt to appreciate old Hindi-movie music from my dad and somewhere down the line picked up jazz as well.
Being a movie star isn't easy. It requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice. Your career goes through extreme ups and downs. You are judged all the time. Great things are written about you, but at the same time, not-so-good things are also said. At times, things are said about you that are completely untrue, and people mostly try to pull you down.
Yes, my life has changed in terms of the fame and the success, the number of eye balls on you all the time. I like to believe that it has not changed my ideology, the person that I am. I have people like Anna and my mom, my friends who tell me that.
India is home, and that's never going to change.
I don't look at it as Hollywood or Bollywood, but, of course, my roots are here, and at the end of the day, it's about your roots. You can't take India out of me.
I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think it's about following your instincts and doing a film for the right reason.
A script narration is like watching a film, and I react to it like an audience with my own instinct. After that, I look for what is my character, what will I bring to the table in that role, how challenging will it be.
No other aspect of filmmaking has tempted me to do a film other than the script and the story itself.