There’s a lot going on in my head all the time: Deepika Padukone

The thing that strikes me most about Deepika Padukone is her groundedness. She has remained humble and hard-working, despite her superstardom and has had another fantastic year with amazing performances in Piku, Tamasha and Bajirao Mastani — three films that are as different from each other as they can be. Clad in a black pullover and jeans, the actress settles down and opens up about her NGO, her strength, her inherent nature, being an introvert and the mistakes she made in 2015. Read on...

You have had two fantastic years in a row. What’s your plan now for a hattrick year?
There’s really no plan.  My films happen organically. I was a bit skeptical when I found out that this year was going to be as busy as 2013 with three releases back-to-back. Now that I am on the other side and the releases are done, I can breathe. I am completely overwhelmed by the way the year has gone by, but if I had it my way, I would want my films to be spaced out. They all came so fast, dhadha-dhad! Tamasha and Bajirao Mastani came without even a month’s gap in between!

Amongst your three releases of 2015, which was the most toughest to do?
Bajirao Mastani. Because of what the script and the character demanded from the actors. It was physically, mentally, emotionally,  draining and very challenging. It is the toughest film of my career till now.   

Any directors on your wish list for 2016?
There are many talented directors that I would love to work with –  some I have not worked with but I would love to work with like Zoya Akhtar, R Balki, Anurag Kashyap, Anurag Basu, Aanand L Rai, Raj Kumar Hirani, Gauri Shinde, Vikramaditya Motwane, Sujoy Ghosh… And some of them I have already worked with like Ayan Mukerji, Imtiaz Ali, Shoojit Sircar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali… 

And actors?
As far as actors are concerned, I have worked with a lot of them. I can say I would like to work with X, Y and Z but that pairing has to be correct for that film also so I would rather choose directors than actors. Of course, I would love to work with those actors I haven’t worked with, like Hrithik, Salman, Aamir, Sushant Singh Rajput, Aditya Roy Kapur… As people and as actors and from the work that I have seen of them as actors and individuals. But it’s more important that we are correct for the film.

You mentioned Salman. But you were approached for Sultan…
Hmmm. I won’t comment on it as it’s not right to talk about films other than the films that you are doing. And since I haven’t signed any films at the moment…

You have always been very politically correct and diplomatic as an actress.
(Laughs) Uhmm.. Maybe… Maybe not. But I have lived with this tag for too long now and I don’t know any other way of being. Whatever it is, it is the way it has always been. Some people think I am being honest, some think I am being politically correct, but this is how it is.

But no one knows the real Deepika…
Who am I? I think I am pretty boring. You wouldn’t want to know who I am.

But we have seen the different fun-loving, madcap side to you while promoting your films..
Yes, I can, on one hand, be something completely different on the other. I can oscillate between being very quiet  to being funny or chatty. I need to be comfortable to open up like that. The fun side of me comes out more around people who have known me over the years. You probably saw that with me with Ranbir (Kapoor) and Imtiaz or Ranveer (Singh) where there’s a lot of comfort. With them you will get to see a different side of me. My needs are very simple and basic which is my work, my family, my friends, little alone time and that’s it. I am very sensitive and emotional, but I have stopped wearing my heart on my sleeve.

So you are guarded most of the time?
It’s not about being guarded. I am an introvert. I think a lot. There’s a lot going on in my head all the time. I am an observer.  I enjoy watching people. I am  more comfortable being an introvert than an extrovert. I am very uncomfortable in crowds or around too many people. I am happier being in a more intimate space with fewer people.     

To the world you are Number 1, but your dad Prakash Padukone in an interview to our paper recently spoke about how you have a long way to go. Is that what keeps you grounded?
(Laughs) Absolutely! And I also agree with what he said. My family is a huge, huge leveller. When I go back home, I am their little girl, and at no point I am allowed to forget that and I should not be allowed to forget that because that’s who we are at the end of the day. If you are a journalist, I am an actor. There is no other difference. The only difference is that when we go back home to our families, we go back to who we are and for our parents that will never change. They are a huge influence in my life as far as grounding is concerned or reality check is concerned. Also, I feel for all the success that my father has achieved, my father is the biggest example at home, of someone who is just not aware of his achievements. I find that incredible. So I have amazing examples at home and they have paved or shown me the way.

It was rather sweet of you to reach out to Shah Rukh on Twitter, and wish him, despite the clash of your films.
Yaaa! I missed him so much… Throughout the promotions, I kept hoping that we would cross paths, be in the same city at the same time. We have had such wonderful memories together and done such beautiful work together. Even when it comes to the promotion of a film, he’s so generous. When you are promoting a film with SRK, it feels wonderful. You don’t feel as if you are working with him because he makes it so warm…

I noticed the Twitter love between you and Sonam, too.
There’s never been a fall out between Sonam and me in any case. I find it silly that we have to keep clarifying things. The only thing that can stand in the way of friendships sometimes is time. Relationships need time and need to be nurtured and because of the kind of profession and lifestyle that we lead, it’s difficult to invest that kind of time in it. But it’s most definitely possible to be well wishers for other people and to also be cordial. That’s the most basic thing.  

Why the mystery about your Hollywood film? You posted a still but won’t comment on it.
(Laughs) You will know soon. Kya pata (looks mysterious). The plot thickens… (Grins).

Any New Year resolution?
No. When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, I am like kya hai yaar? There are no resolutions as such because of my own experiences in life. I just wish peace and happiness for everyone. It’s very easily said but very difficult to find mental peace and happiness. I am that kind of person who if I say I am going to eat healthy from today, I will do it right now. I won’t say I will eat healthy in the new year or do this and that.

Your set  up an NGO Live Love Laugh. Was it an effort to talk about your depression publicly? 
The only effort was putting the foundation together. Putting that together was like the fourth production so other than these three films that I had and working on these three films, putting the foundation together has been equally time-consuming. It’s almost become like an alternate profession where if I am not dedicating my time to anything that’s film-related, the rest of the time goes in putting it into foundation-related.

Were you worried about the consequences?
Honestly, I didn’t think of it like that.I am glad that it never even crossed my mind at that point. I have emails and messages from men and young women talking about how they have started taking their medication or been able to get through to their parents to say what they are going through. Like a girl just messaged me two days ago that she made her parents watch my interview because through me she could tell them what she was going through. She said, ‘I have started taking my medication and now I feel I have got my life back.’ This was my intention. This was all I wanted — that if by sharing my experiences and story I could save even one life, the purpose of doing what I did will all come together. That’s it. What more do you want? Very rarely are we in situations where we can tangentially help people.  

Where do you get your strength?
My work is my strength. That’s something that I can proudly say is mine and nobody can take that away from me. I think maybe that’s why I am so passionate when it comes to my work because I have had things in my life that have been taken away from me and those things are not in your control. Maybe that’s why I am so protective about my work and I love my work so much because — that’s mine! My work is mine. Also my strengths are the people in my life — my parents, my sister, my school friends… Very few people, but very influential people in my life.

Three mistakes you don’t want to repeat in 2016.
There is really nothing that I can think of. I am not trying to say I have not made mistakes, maybe I have but I think I am someone who, even if I have, will always make the better of it and try and see what I could have done better or how I could have improved on it — basically learning from your mistakes. I believe that journey for every individual is very important where you need to go through the path, make your mistakes, do the correct think and go through it yourself to be able to be your real self. So even if I have made mistakes, which I can’t remember right now, it’s obviously something that I am okay, dealt and made my peace with it. I have probably used it in a constructive way.   

2015 was rocking professionally. What about on the personal front?
How does it matter what is happening on my personal front? I need to be peaceful, happy and that’s the only thing that should matter.