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| Edited By: Meena Iyer |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 15, 2019, 06:05 AM IST
Deepika Padukone has joined the ranks of top global politicians, sports icons and entertainers, whose wax statues are a major attraction at Madame Tussauds. The actress, who travelled to London with her husband Ranveer Singh and parents — Prakash Padukone and Ujjala Padukone — for the unveiling, looks upon the wax work as the statue of purpose; dedicating it to bringing in awareness about mental health issues. In an email interview from the UK capital, she spoke about the significance of her latest achievement. Over to her...
It was extremely overwhelming and almost a bit surreal because, I think, for the first time you get a sense of maybe what people perceive you as. The first time I came here was when my sister (Anisha) and I were little girls with our parents. Usually, you hop on to the red bus that takes you around London and you try and condense all of the sightseeing in one day.
Madame Tussauds happens to be one of the pit stops. You stand in a line, buy a ticket and go inside thinking that this is the closest you can ever get to seeing people, who have been influential in shaping the world. I don’t think I ever thought of a point where I would be here. Also, more than for me, I think, it’s my parents who came here 35 years ago. Just yesterday, my mum mentioned that they never thought that their daughter would be here. So, this is an emotional moment for all of us.
Yes. Absolutely. For us, as a family, these moments are important. We try to come together and be there for each other on momentous occasions like this. I am really happy that everyone is here (in London) today because I think moments should be shared with your team and family. I don’t think I would be here today if it wasn’t for how supportive and encouraging they have been. Of course, a large part of it has been because of my body of work and the characters and films that I have been fortunate to be a part of, but I think we don’t give our family enough credit. Each one of them has been extremely instrumental in where I am today. It was extremely important for me that they be here to unveil the statue.
Deepika Padukone’s parents Ujjala Padukone and Prakash Padukone looking at her wax statue
Before I answer that, let me rewind a bit. Right from the time when I was a little girl, I have always questioned everything that I have done. I have been curious about all that I do in my life and believed that everything you do, however big or small, should be backed by the right intent. It needs to come from a place of honesty and purpose. So, when this opportunity came my way, I sat with my entire team, and I had a moment to myself where I said, ‘Okay, as far as this is concerned what is the purpose of what I leave behind’.
