Star gets real about breaking boundaries and her uphill battle with depression
The highest-paid actress in Bollywood, Deepika Padukone, has a complete disregard for the rule-book when it comes to the film industry.
Since her career has taken off, Deepika has learned to shed the ‘traditional image’ of how an Indian actress should look, speak and act for the cameras. Deepika also spoke of her personal experiences of working in American films. She claims that Hollywood still has a long way to go before it stops Pidgeon-holing South Asian actors into specific roles based on their ethnicity.
Deepika stated how she still gets offered contracts for roles to play the foreign-sidekick or “the exotic” as she calls it. She further explained: “I am going to meetings to let people know not just about me, but that there is a whole big world out there beyond America. And they need to see that.”
Deepika also revealed how she was breaking the mould of being a typical Bollywood star. She doesn’t always wear exactly what her stylist and current fashions trends deem as appropriate. She recalled how she was previously attempting to “fit the model of being an Indian film actor” by “wearing certain clothes.” However, now the 33-year-old has decided to “shed all that” and become her true self. She believes that one’s outer experience is only a “small” fragment of who they are.
Speaking of showing her fans and the media who she truly is, Deepika also recently opened up about her battle with mental health. She admitted that it took her a long time to be truthful about her condition. However, doing so helped to remove the stigma around mental health in her home country of India.
Ms Padukone said: “I wasted a couple of weeks carrying the medication around with me because I was afraid of everything I had heard, that it has side effects, that you get addicted
“Finally, it gets to the point where you either take the medication or there is no point surviving.”
Now the star focuses on doing what’s best for her health. She takes time out daily to perform her meditation and exercise regimes and focuses on getting a full night’s rest regularly. Deepika is currently in the UK for the filming of ’83 with her husband Ranveer Singh and is set to embark on more film projects early next year.
By Manisha Bhanot
