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Warrior woman: Deepika Padukone

Indomitable ladies who are a force to reckon with in their professional spheres (and out of it)

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Deepika Padukone
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She is one of those actors whose strong will and independent nature is as talked about as her films (and personal life). If Deepika Padukone has made news for her performances, she has also made people sit up and take note whenever she addressed serious issues — be it the objectification of an actor, or mental illnesses.

Perhaps the first of her ilk to openly talk about depression, the actor didn’t show any signs of anxiety or nervousness in the face of death threats during the controversy surrounding her latest movie, Padmaavat. The Kshyatriya Samaj, which opposed the movie’s release, announced a reward of Rs 5 crore to anyone who would behead the actor and Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha announced a reward of Rs 1 crore to anyone who’d burn her alive. Responding to the threats, an unperturbed Padukone told a tabloid, “Well, at this point, as a woman, an artiste and a citizen of this country I feel angry, I feel let down… and I also find it amusing.” 

Post the movie’s release, she was quoted as saying, she has “never identified with the emotion of fear”. When asked where she looked for strength in the face of threats, Deepika told a daily, “It was all self-belief and being fearless,” adding, “I feel those were very important times as well. In fact, it gave me clarity about a lot of things.” 

Voted the highest-ranking Indian woman actor for three consecutive years, she endorses about 20 brands and is considered among the most influential celebrities in entertainment and sports. 

Padukone, who made her Hollywood debut last year with XXX: The Return Of Xander Cage and is said to team up with the Vin Diesel again, is expected to announce her next international venture soon. Even though the spy thriller didn’t rake in huge moolah at the domestic box office, she, nonetheless, remains the most sought after Bollywood actress today. For someone with no filmi connections and who started off as a badminton player in Bengaluru, to emerge on the top of a highly competitive industry is no mean feat. 

Incidentally, Padukone came out in the open about her depression when she was way ahead of her competition. While she was lauded for talking about what is otherwise a taboo topic in the country, she decided to take up the cause and started the Live Love Laugh Foundation, dedicated to spreading awareness on mental illness. 

In the last couple of years, she has also been called a path-breaker, a feminist and even a social activist. And Padukone continues to push the envelope in the movies, and by venturing into newer territories.

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