Deepika Padukone: People often ask me why I don’t work with Salman

“Are we through?” an earnest Deepika Padukone asks Happy New Year’s PR manager. She’s referring to the interview line-ups for the day at Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies office. A few members of my fraternity are anxiously waiting for their turn with the box-office queen.

DP has just returned from Ahmedabad and straightaway headed for the media interactions of a film that’s billed as the biggest release of 2014. A thorough professional that she is, Dippy took time to get into the groove. But once she did, she spoke her heart out about her bumper Diwali release, working with Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan again after Om Shanti Om, her box-office Midas touch, star remunerations and her upcoming projects, Piku, Tamaasha and Bajirao Mastani.

Over to DP.

HAPPY NEW YEAR – A HOMECOMING OF SORTS

I’d definitely call it a homecoming because I think the way they presented me in my debut film (OSO) was something that any newcomer can only dream about. Working on this film definitely brought back memories of OSO. We got along like a house on fire and Farah still calls me Dippy and I call her Maa. We both take certain liberties with each other as friends. In fact, during breaks we used to talk about our Om Shanti Om days and shared memories. I like working with Shah Rukh and Red Chillies because just the way our working equation is. I’ll never bat an eyelid before working with them.

DESTINED TO DO HAPPY NEW YEAR

I think they were looking at casting a new girl in HNY but for whatever reasons just after I finished Chennai Express, I got a call from Farah saying that she wanted me to do HNY. I went over to her house and we spoke. She didn’t give me full narration then. And that’s the way it worked out. Just before we started shooting the film, she gave me full narration.

Whatever they do today – be it SRK or Farah – the fact that they gave me such a beautiful launch and presented me so well, I’ll always be indebted. They understood the responsibility that my career was in their hands. I’m happy that Imtiaz’s film also got postponed and I got chance to be a part of HNY.

ON HER SPECTACULAR JOURNEY

It has been an unbelievable journey. I had a fantastic debut and I can proudly say that no debutant actress has been as lucky as me. After that some of my movies didn’t do well. So I went through a rough phase. I made use of the time and opportunity to realise what my mistakes, strengths and weaknesses were. I used the low phase of my career to better myself as a person instead of being bogged down by thinking about things like what went wrong.

UPS AND DOWNS ARE A PART OF LIFE

During tough times only you can support yourself. You’ve your family and friends by your side. But when you’re going through a low phase it’s your own mental make-up that’ll help you through. It really helps to have such support system. But until you decide for yourself and want to help yourself and do something about that nobody else can help you.

ACTOR’S LIFE A LEARNING PROCESS

I wouldn’t like to talk about that in detail because it wouldn’t be right. Whatever the mistakes might be, if I managed to identify that, it helps. I don’t think it’s fair to pinpoint saying this was wrong, that was not correct. It’s a learning process.

I DID FACE REJECTION

Yes, I did face rejection. There are films which I hoped to be a part of but after the films got released I was happy thinking I wasn’t part of those films. Whatever happens, happens for good.

TOUGH TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN QUALITY AND QUANTITY

I’d like to believe that the films I’m doing right now are based on quality. The producers of these films have decided to release them next year. Last year, when four films released back to back, that was not in my hands. I’ve already finished shooting half of Piku and by November or December I should be through with the film. By January or February, I shall finish Tamaasha. We’ve already shot one month of Tamaasha and then March onwards will start Bajirao Mastani.

EVERY YEAR BRINGS NEW SURPRISES

This year is very special like last year as I got to work on two completely different genre of films – Finding Fanny, which was an Hinglish film and HNY which is an out-and-out commercial masala film. Every year gets more and more interesting. The names of the films I’m doing next are based on my characters like Piku or Bajirao Mastani.

I DON’T THINK I EVER SAID NO TO ANY DIRECTOR

Films are in an actor’s destiny. People often keep asking me why I’m not doing a film with Salman Khan. It’s not that I don’t want to work with him or vice versa. But I feel every film has got its time and destiny. Sometimes, things work out. Sometimes, they don’t. It just means that things were not meant to be. I don’t think I’ve ever said no. I don’t have that power. I do films where I know I’ll have a good time enjoy working with people. Destiny of each film is different.

BOX-OFFICE AND CRITICAL ACCLAIM GO HAND IN HAND

Both box-office success and critical acclaim matter to me. People say critics’ reviews don’t bother them. But deep inside, they feel bad when reviews are not good. Similarly, when you read good reviews but the box-office collection isn’t impressive you do wonder what went wrong. I’d like to deliver hit films where the producers make money and at the same time, it shall be critically acclaimed. The success of a film is determined by its repeat value.

100 OR 200 CRORES DON’T REALLY MATTER, SCRIPT DOES

I don’t do films thinking it will do Rs 100 or 200 crore business. For me, box-office at that level is not important. Rather, I do not sign films for those kinds of numbers. We never thought Ram Leela will make Rs 100 crore. It bagged awards and earned good money, also. So you’ve to choose films from your heart. I want to do roles that are difficult and challenge me as an actor.

ACTRESSES EARN LESS THAN ACTORS

If you’re comparing it to what the guys make, it’s very less. But if you’re comparing with what the girls used to get and what the girls are getting now in the last one year itself, there has been a major shift. We all are hoping for good. At the end of the day, we should make films for the beauty of filmmaking.

NEED NEW INFRASTRUCTURE, FACILITIES AND MORE STUDIOS

I think we can improve the infrastructure and facility. Right now, there’re only a few big corporate houses like Yash Raj Films or Reliance, which have proper facilities and studios. We can create more studios with more facilities. Mumbai’s oldest Film City has started doing tours inside the premises like how it’s done in Hollywood and Ramoji studio in Hyderabad. We need infrastructure.

INTERESTING LINEUP OF FILMS NEXT YEAR

There’ll be four releases next year. One is Shoojit Sircar’s Piku with Amitabh Bachchan, and other is Tamaasha with Ranbir Kapoor, directed by Imtiaz Ali and then, Bajirao Mastani with Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

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