Biography
Deepika Prakash Padukone is an Indian actress who is one of the top performers in Hindi cinema and ranks among the highest-paid film stars in India. She was born on January 5, 1986, in Copenhagen, Denmark, and is the daughter of former badminton champion Prakash Padukone. Her family moved to India when she was young, and she grew up in Bangalore. Initially, she played badminton and competed nationally as a teenager before shifting to fashion modeling and then acting.
Padukone started her acting career with the Kannada film Aishwarya in 2006. Her big break came with her Bollywood debut in Om Shanti Om (2007), where she played opposite Shah Rukh Khan. This film's success won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and marked her as a rising star in the industry. Although she had early hits with Love Aaj Kal (2009), her career took a temporary dip before the romantic comedy Cocktail (2012) turned things around, highlighting her acting skills and screen appeal.
She found major commercial and critical success with films like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express (both 2013), Happy New Year (2014), and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period dramas Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013), Bajirao Mastani (2015), and Padmaavat (2018). Her roles in Ram-Leela and Piku (2015) won her Filmfare Awards for Best Actress, showing she could handle both big hits and serious roles. She went international by starring in the Hollywood action film XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017).
Outside of films, Padukone started The Live Love Laugh Foundation to promote mental health awareness in India, for which she received the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award in 2018. Time magazine acknowledged her global impact by listing her among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018 and later honored her with the Time100 Impact Award in 2022. She married fellow actor Ranveer Singh and has kept up her successful movie career, recently starring in Pathaan (2023), and set to appear in Fighter and Kalki 2898 AD (both 2024). She has also ventured into film production with her company, Ka Productions. Her studies at Indira Gandhi National Open University supported her career.
Before Fame
Deepika Padukone, daughter of badminton legend Prakash Padukone, initially pursued badminton and played competitively at the national level in her teens. Despite her potential in sports, she chose to switch to fashion modeling, which paved her way into the entertainment industry.
In the early 2000s, Indian cinema was expanding, and Bollywood was looking for new talent as it reached a more global audience. This shift created opportunities for newcomers like Padukone, who moved from modeling to acting. Her height, striking looks, and natural presence on screen attracted filmmakers, leading her to start her career in regional cinema before moving on to Bollywood.
Key Achievements
- Won three Filmfare Awards including Best Female Debut for Om Shanti Om
- Starred in multiple films grossing over 100 crores at the Indian box office
- Received Time magazine's Time100 Impact Award in 2022
- Founded The Live Love Laugh Foundation for mental health awareness
- Successfully transitioned to Hollywood with XXX: Return of Xander Cage
Did You Know?
- 01.She was named after actress Deepika Chikhalia, who played Sita in the television series Ramayan
- 02.Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018
- 03.She has openly discussed her battle with depression, becoming one of the first major Bollywood stars to speak publicly about mental health
- 04.Her film Padmaavat faced significant controversy and protests, with several Indian states initially banning its release
- 05.She became the first Indian woman to unveil the FIFA World Cup trophy at the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Award for Best Actress | — | — |
| BIG Star Entertainment Awards | — | — |
| CNN-News18 Indian of the Year | — | — |
| IIFA Award for Best Actress | — | — |
| NDTV Indian of the Year | — | — |
| Producers Guild Film Awards | — | — |
| Screen Awards | — | — |
| Stardust Awards | — | — |
| Times of India Film Awards | — | — |
| Zee Cine Awards | — | — |
| ETC Bollywood Business Awards | 2014 | — |
| Crystal Award | 2020 | — |
| Time 100 | 2018 | — |