Deepika Padukone: ( born 5 January 1986) is an Indian film
actress and model. She has established a successful career
in Bollywood films, and is cited in the media as one of the most popular
and attractive Indian celebrities.
Padukone, the daughter of the badminton player Prakash Padukone, was
born in Copenhagen and raised in Bangalore. As a teenager she played
badminton in national level championships, but left her career in sport
to become a fashion model. She soon received offers for film roles, and
made her acting debut in 2006 as the titular character of the Kannada
film Aishwarya. Padukone then played dual roles in her first Bollywood release—the 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Om—and won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
Padukone received praise for portraying the lead female roles in the 2009 romance Love Aaj Kal and the 2010 drama Lafangey Parindey, but her performances in the 2008 romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno and the 2010 comedy Housefull met
with negative reviews. She followed it with roles in a series of
commercially unsuccessful films that failed to propel her career
forward. The 2012 box office hit Cocktail marked a significant
turning point in her career, earning her critical acclaim and Best
Actress nominations at several award ceremonies. In 2013, Padukone
established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema by playing
primary roles in the comediesYeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express (both
of which rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time),
and won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in the
tragic romance Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela.
Alongside her acting career, Padukone participates in stage shows, has
written columns for an Indian newspaper, and is a prominent celebrity
endorser for brands and products. Her off-screen life is the subject of
fervent tabloid reporting in India.