I compete with myself: Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone, whose father was a badminton champion, uses the spirit of sportsmanship while working in the film industry and says she knows how to be competitive in a positive manner.
One of the A-list actresses, she has some good projects in hand like Chennai Express with Shah Rukh Khan and Kochadaiyaan with Tamil superstar Rajinikanth.
“I think there are two ways to look at it. Everybody doesn’t get to do each and every film. I don’t compete with others; I compete with myself. I have been an athlete, a sportsperson; so I know how to be competitive in a healthy way,” Deepika, a former badminton player whose father, Prakash Padukone, was a national badminton champion and won the coveted All-England badminton crown, told IANS in an exclusive interview.
This year she had only one release, the commercially successful Cocktail. She says it is difficult to predict what will work at the box office.
“Many a times, a most predictable film doesn’t work, while the least expected films click at the box office. So everything is in the hands of the audience. I don’t demarcate any film. If a film does well and gets into the Rs.100 crore club, well and good. But I want the audience to appreciate my quality of work,” she said.
Deepika, who will be next seen in Race 2 with her Love Aaj Kal, Aarakshan and Cocktail co-star Saif Ali Khan, hopes people will appreciate their chemistry in the the fast-paced thriller.
“Saif is fun to work with. We have worked in four films together and I share a comfort level with him. The most exciting part is that all the four films are completely different from one another.”
“He is a very spontaneous actor. You never know what to expect from him. The audience have liked our chemistry before and, hopefully, they will appreciate it again in Race 2,” she said and clarified that they never planned to work together; “it just happened”.
Race 2 also has Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandes and Ameesha Patel.
Asked what prompted her to be part of the film, Deepika said: “I really liked Race and that excited me to be part of the film. Besides, I like the working style of Abbas-Mustan. The character that I play in the film is also different. I play a very manipulated and very aggressive woman, which I have not played before.”
Race 2 may be a sequel to 2008 hit Race, but for Deepika it is “an independent film”.
“Yes, there is a flow in the story but I joined the crew in Race 2; so it doesn’t affect my work anyway,” she added.
In the film, the 26-year-old has some steamy and bold scenes with Saif.
Was she comfortable doing them?
“It’s not about being comfortable or uncomfortable; I consider each and every scene the same way. For me, each and every scene stands out and I approach each and every scene in the same way.”
Race 2 also features Jacqueline Fernandez and Ameesha Patel and is slated for a January 25 release.
Badminton in India
Badminton is a popular sport in India. It is the second most played sport in India after cricket. Badminton in India is managed by Badminton Association of India.
Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal, Srikanth Kidambi, and Pusarla Venkata Sindhu are ranked amongst top-10 in current BWF rankings. Prakash Padukone was the first player from India to achieve world no. 1 spot in the game and after him Srikanth Kidambi made it to the top spot as male player for the second time in April 2018 and Saina Nehwal is the first female player from India to achieve World no. 1 spot in April 2015. The most successful doubles player from India is Jwala Gutta, who is the only Indian to have been ranked in the top-10 of two categories. She peaked at no. 6 with Valiyaveetil Diju in mixed doubles and at no. 10 with Ashwini Ponnappa in women’s doubles. Other successful players include Aparna Popat, Pullela Gopichand, Syed Modi, Chetan Anand, Parupalli Kashyap, Prannoy Kumar, Ashwini Ponnappa, Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and N. Sikki Reddy.
Indo-Asian News Service | Monday, December 24, 2012 (Mumbai)
