Deepika Padukone recently talked about her journey in the film industry. She spoke about the disparity between men and women and how her parents ensured that it would never hinder her life. She continued saying, that despite her upbringing she had other challenges she needed to overcome. She also spoke about the representation of mental health in Bollywood.
In an interview with Vogue magazine, she said, “I do see the obvious disparity between men and women in almost any aspect of life, but never in my journey have I felt the need to compare. And I think it’s to do with the fact that my sister and I weren’t brought up like that. We weren’t constantly reminded of the fact that we were girls, and so we had to go into the world thinking differently and fighting for what we deserved. But I did have to tackle other challenges. Coming from a sports background meant I did not have a natural inroad into Bollywood. My South Indian accent was also frowned upon and I initially worried about being written off because of it.”
She said, “If any praise for that change, no matter how big or small, comes my way, I will take it. It’s definitely a lot to digest, but at the same time, I won’t say it’s untrue because my purpose has always been that. As an outsider to the industry, I inadvertently ended up becoming an observer, which I believe has enabled me to change the status quo. Earlier, I probably didn’t have the confidence or the clout to be able to effect change, but the desire for it was always there. Even as a child, I was always curious about why things were done a certain way. I would never take anything lying down or be satisfied with things being handed to me on a platter.”
She is also all set to be part of the jury for Cannes for the main feature film competition. She is working on Nag Ashwin's Project K, alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas and Disha Patani. She also has Pathaan alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Fighter with Hrithik Roshan and Anil Kapoor.
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