Bollywood Star Deepika Padukone

You may not have heard of Deepika Padukone, but Bollywood knows her well. The world was introduced to the Padukone family through her father, Prakash Padukone, a World Champion Badminton player. There is more interest, however, in the ravishing, sensuous 21 year old, from Bangalore India.

Deepika brings sensual innocence to the screen. How does she accomplish the paradoxical combination? That may be the secret to Deepika Padukone's Bollywood success. The camera loves her, so do the fans.

Deepika's modeling career began with Liril Soap, Close-Up toothpaste, and a variety of odd jobs until Maybelline tapped her as a lead model. Modeling for Maybelline, Deepika became internationally known. Deepika Padukone quickly won several modeling awards, including "Model of the Year" and Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar face of the year in 2006.

Following her success in modeling Deepika Padukone ventured into film. Her film debut was in a music video by Himesh Reshammiya, a popular Bollywood singer and composer. Taking advantage of the connection with Himesh, she introduced her male friend, and Bollywood social icon Nihar Pandya to him. Nihar Pandya ended up scoring a role in one of Himesh Reshammiya's videos, thanks to Deepika.

From her music video debut, Deepika starred in her first Bollywood movie, Aishwarya. She worked with Upendra, under the direction of Indrajit Lankish, a prominent Indian producer. Aishwarya quickly became a number one hit at the box office. Deepika Padukone gained critical acclaim for her performance and a trail of producers chasing her with contracts for future films.

Deepika Padukone is walking through Bollywood and Tamil's open doors. She has signed contracts for 3 films in 2007. Deepika Padukone will star in Bollywood films, Pirate, Om Shanti Om, and Delhi 6. According to her official fan site, Deepika is strangely silent about her feature role in these films. Following the release of the three Bollywood films, it is reported that Deepika Padukone will star in a Tamil film with Surya, also known as Saravanan Sivakumar, a popular Indian actor in Tamil films.

As of June 30, 2007, Deepika Padukone signed with Indian filmmaker Nikhil Advani, to star in a Bollywood, martial arts movie. According to Advani's comments to Bollywood-stars.net, he found Deepika Padukone perfect for the part. The role calls for athleticism and quick moves. She will be playing opposite Akshay Kumar, a martial artist and Bollywood actor. Advani believes Deepika Padukone will, with training be able to match Akshay Kumar "fist for fist, and stunt for stunt," according to his interview with Bollywood-stars.net.

Continue to watch for Deepika Padukone as a rising star among the sensuous, young Bollywood actors. However, don't expect to see Deepika in any "sleazy roles or intimate scenes," according to her comments in Bollywood's SmashHits.com.

Perhaps she'll be able to hang on to her ideals and fame, but Bollywood is known for its hot women and steamy scenes, despite India's social mores. Bollywood may prove to be the catalyst for change, for society and Deepika Padukone.

Sources:

"Actor Surya Wedding." http://www.surya-and-jyothika.com/actor-surya-wedding.htm

"Deepika Padukone." http://www.padukonedeepika.com/

"Deepika Padukone in Action." http://www.bollywood-stars.net/category/upcoming-films/page/2/"Deepika Padukone in 'Happy New Year'" SmashHits.com. http://ww.smashits.com/news/bollywood/movie-talk/5235/deepika-padukone-in-happy-new-year.html

"Nikhil Advani Signs Deepika Padukone in His Next Film" http://celebrityandworld.wordpress.com/tag/deepika-padukone/