Deepika Padukone Opens Up On What Real Beauty Means To Her

One of Bollywood’s leading ladies, Deepika Padukone needs no introduction. Charlene Flanagan chats with the superstar on what real beauty means to her, the future of women in the industry, and what it takes to deliver a truly stellar performance.

- Charlene Flanagan

Hello, can you hear me?” Deepika Padukone’s voice comes over the line of our Mumbai-London call at 11:30 pm IST on a Saturday night. “Sorry to be doing this so late, but I just wrapped up a photoshoot,” she says, as we begin our conversation. “I hope I’m not keeping you from anything.” I can hear the traffic in the background as she makes her way back to the hotel. Her relaxed and cheerful voice, despite her 12-hour work day (we’re told she had a call time of 7:00 am, BST), comes straight through, and her unhurried tone made me feel as if I were in for a joyride. We chat about the weather, quite literally, and Padukone seems to be in no rush. There begins our easy-breezy conversation as she opens up, like never before, about her career, upcoming films, what it’s like to be married to Ranveer Singh, and a rather unconventional career choice, if she were to give up the limelight. Excerpts below:

You’re amongst the highest paid actors in the industry, earning equally, if not more than your male co-stars. Do you believe that this will encourage your female contemporaries to demand an equal pay on their projects?

I don’t know, and to be honest, I don’t think that’s where my efforts and energies are at this point. I’m more focused on bringing about an impact, and how much I get paid is irrelevant.

You’re at the peak of your career and you’ve also been voted as Forbes India’s 50 Sexiest Asian Women. Do you think accolades like these change you?

Not at all! I don’t think I’ve done anything to achieve that in the first place. So, I don’t see why it would change anything. Is it flattering? Yes, of course. Is it something I wake up thinking about on a daily basis? Absolutely not!

You’re portraying Laxmi Agarwal in Meghna Gulzar’s