Deepika arrived into the scene on 5th January 1986, in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the daughter of Ujjala and Prakash Padukone, who was the Badminton Champion. The sports genes runs in her family, for she herself played badminton at state level until 10th grade while her younger sister Anisha has taken to sports on a more professional level, with a strong interest in golf.
She did her schooling in Sophia High School and her graduation from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.
The Model
Deepika Padukone has appeared in several print and television commercials like Liril, Limca and Close-up. She was the brand ambassador for Jewels of India, a jewelry exhibition and the face of Maybelline, an international brand. She also appeared in the 2006 Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar.
She received recognition on the modeling scene by winning the Model of the Year title by the fifth Kingfisher Fashion Awards. The India Zee F Awards saw her walking away with not one but two prizes – Female Model of the Year (Commercial assignments) and Fresh Face of the Year.
She graced Himesh Reshamiyya’s video ‘Naam Hai Tera’ from his album Aap Ka Suroor.
Silver Screen Calling
It was hardly any surprise when she stepped into films in 2006 with her debut Aishwarya, a Kannada movie directed by Indrajit Lankesh, opposite Upendra who is one of the leading stars in the Kannada film industry.
Bollywood was not far behind. Her debut Farah Khan’s Om Shanthi Om was opposite none other than Shah Rukh Khan. She played a double-role, first as Shanthipriya a movie star and later as the bubble gum chewing star-struck Sandy. She walked away with the Filmfare Best Female Debut award and was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award.
She starred opposite her beau Ranbir Kapoor in Bachna Hai Haseeno, which released in 2008.
More Deepika
Her next release, expected to hit the theaters in the early part of 2009 is Chandni Chowk to China with Akshay Kumar.....
