Who is Deepika Padukone, the Bollywood superstar that everyone is fighting for?
If you don’t know her yet, it may be time to take an interest in Deepika Padukone, the Bollywood actress who is among the most famous women of the subcontinent. From jury member of the Cannes Film Festival to Égérie Cartier, how did she put the world at her feet?
Committed actress, producer, philanthropist and entrepreneur of Indian origin, Deepika Padukone has more than one string to her bow. This 37-year-old Indian-born woman is a beloved star in her country, who remains the world’s leading film producer, far ahead of the United States.
It should be noted that Bollywood – the contraction of Mumbai and Hollywood – initially refers to the approximately 360 productions that are released each year from Mumbai studios and that have more than 30 million spectators worldwide… per day.
From TV to the cinema
Deepika Padukone was born in Denmark, to a high-level sports father and a travel agent mother. Early on, she started modeling. It was through a television commercial that her career took off in India and took her close to Bollywood, where she soon made a name for herself.
She also pursued her career in modeling and worked for several major Indian brands, before becoming a muse for Maybelline.
After a successful first film for the young actress, the proposals follow one another and she quickly becomes a great actress of Bollywood cinema. To date, she has accumulated more than 30 films.
In 2017, she made her Hollywood debut alongside Vin Diesel in the xXx: Reactivated movie, whose trailer was a huge hit with over 100 million views in a week on Facebook and YouTube.
Despite a fast and successful start to her career, she overcame some failures.
After the United States, she decided to create her production company – Ka production – which is not very successful with only two films produced so far: Chhappak, which deals with a societal subject that remains a real scourge in India: women attacked with acid. Then 83, a lighter feature film, released 2 years ago.
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According to the Indian tabloid Bollywood Hungama, the star also lost a coveted role in 2021 after asking the production to raise its salary – in order to align it with that of the other main actor, her husband Ranveer Singh.
Since the gender pay gap is a deep-rooted issue in many industries, Deepika Padukone spoke in 2019 about refusing a role that did not pay her as much as her male counterparts. “I don’t think I would be able to live with the idea that, despite the same kind of creative contribution from my male co-star, I’m underpaid,” she told The Indian Express.
An icon with a big I and a big heart
On the subcontinent, Deepika Padukone is perceived as an icon, even a saint. In 2015, she founded an association called Live Love Laugh Foundation to raise awareness of mental illness among Indians. She has also written opinion columns and collaborated with women’s health and fitness magazines. It also supports various charitable organizations by participating in fundraising events.
She engages in the political debate in India to defend secularism and intervenes in January 2020, alongside one of the best-known representatives of the Communist Party of India Kanhaiya Kumar and JNY Student Union President Aishe Ghosh, on the campus of a progressive university, which had been attacked by thugs.
The superstar actress, considered one of the most famous women in Asia, and one of the best paid Bollywood women, made an impression during this fight. On social networks, his fans and his critics, did not fail to react. Some call for a boycott of her latest film or make more than virulent remarks, while others congratulate her.
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In addition to her actress, producer and activist hat, Deepika Padukone turns out to be a real businesswoman. Last year, she launched her own personal care brand called 82°E.
An accomplished woman
Over the years, she has made a name for herself around the world, beyond the big screen. Followed by 74 million followers on Instagram, it now belongs to the ultra-closed circle of the 100 largest influencers on the planet. She sits just ahead of Emma Watson and has a few spots behind David Beckham. Forbes magazine has ranked him among the 100 most influential people in the world.
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Recently, Cartier, the jeweler of the kings, asked her to become one of his ambassadors, lending his features to the new high jewelry lines.
From commercials to movies and model to muse, Deepika Padukone is an accomplished woman, now weighing over $40 million.
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