Before Chhapaak, a look at Deepika Padukone’s most impactful performances, from Padmaavat to Piku

Deepika Padukone is one of the few actors working today who doesn’t belong to a ‘film family’, yet received a lavish launch and validated the faith shown in her with a series of strong performances. This Friday, she returns after a gap of two years with Chhapaak.

Directed by Meghna Gulzar, the film is inspired by the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal and dramatises the ordeal she went through after the attack. It’s Deepika’s first film as producer, in a move that represents another step forward for the star, who is one of the highest paid female actors in the country.

But the road to success wasn’t easy. Despite more than a few stumbles, especially in her early career, Deepika diversified with a string of impressive films that highlighted her talents. Here are a few of them.

Om Shanti Om

Farah Khan’s old-school Bollywood reincarnation drama Om Shanti Om gave the country a star - Deepika Padukone. She impressed one and all with her poised debut, as she essayed the dual roles of Shantipriya, a reigning 70s superstar, and Sandy, a wannabe leading lady smitten with Shah Rukh Khan’s Om Kapoor.

Though it was just her first film, Deepika gave fans a glimpse into her range as actor. From begging Arjun Rampal’s Mukesh Mehra, with quivering lips and tearful eyes, to end the façade and acknowledge their relationship in public, to her giddy admiration of her favourite superstar, she transitioned from one emotion to another with aplomb.

Bajirao Mastani

Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali came together for the second time to deliver a visual marvel, Bajirao Mastani. Deepika is a fearless warrior who fights alongside Ranveer on the battlefield and is an epitome of beauty and grace off it. Their real-life chemistry translated on screen like magic and the grandeur that is a Bhansali film only helped. This epic saga of love and heartbreak gave goosebumps with its captivating screenplay.

Piku

It is hard to define Piku – a romantic comedy? Maybe, if pared down to its bare bones. A road movie? But it is concerned more with the stuffy insides of the car than the wide outsides. Eschew the categories and brackets, much like Shoojit Sircar’s delightful film, and you get the essence of it. Deepika, its eponymous Piku, is also hard to categorise. A modern working woman who may seem like an ill-tempered scold, driven to distraction as she is by her father’s (played by Amitabh Bachchan) obsession with his bowel movements -- her dad’s potty talk finds its way to her office meetings, her dates are disrupted by correct remedy for constipation. Deepika plays the tightly-wounded Piku to perfection.

And then she surprises you as she is vulnerable the next moment or effortlessly transforms into a giggly young girl almost proposing marriage. Piku is perhaps one of the most important films in Deepika’s career – showcasing her arc as a performer in this domestic and intimate entertainer.

Chennai Express

Deepika Padukone made a cracker of a debut in Om Shanti Om in 2007. However, soon after she signed up for a string of films which did little to enhance her brand value. Then in 2012 came Cocktail, where for the first time, people sat up and took note of her acting. The next year came two films - Yeh Jaawani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express. It was with Chennai Express that audience for the first time saw her in a comic avatar. The thing with this Rohit Shetty film was that much of the film’s plot actually rested on her slender shoulders.

As Meenalochni Azhagusundaram, a Tamil girl on the run from home as her dad, a local don, wants to marry her off to a person she doesn’t approve of, Deepika was in form. While her Tamil accent was criticised, Deepika won praise for her performance. Most would recall ‘kahan se kharidi aisi bakwas dictionary?’ as one of the most popular dialogues from the film. Deepika was appreciated for her spirited, natural, charming yet funny performance. Chennai Express remains an important film that showcases Deepika’s versatility as an actor.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewaani

In life, for when things do not go your way, Dr Naina Talwar has a talisman to get you through anything. ‘Jitna bhi try karo, life mein kuch na kuch chhutega hi. Toh jahaan hai, uska maza lete hai na (No matter how hard you try, you will end up missing out on some things in life. So why not live in the moment, cherish what we have),’ she tells Bunny, who has travelled the world but still does not realise the key to real happiness. With the saccharine sweetness of her voice, spoken to the man who broke her heart, no one could have made Naina more warm and more human than Deepika Padukone.

Naina may be a less manic, less dreamy version of the manic pixie dream girl, but she was just the anchor Bunny needed to bring him out of the sky and back to the ground. She is not unfeeling and she isn’t a preacher—if anything, she may just be more human than the protagonist of the film. She is your eyes in the first half of the story and in the second, you witness her transformation from his. She gets her heart broken but that doesn’t turn her against love. She is not hopelessly in love. She is hopeful in love.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage

For an actor who isn’t necessarily synonymous with action films to hold her own opposite not one, but two of the most enduring stars of the genre is no mean feat, but Deepika performed it with impressive skill. Deepika not only held her own in scenes with Vin Diesel, but also Hong Kong star Donnie Yen.

Her role required her to juggle moments of drama with action and humour. She was given an ‘entry’ scene not unlike her first co-star, Shah Rukh Khan. It is the actor’s highest grossing film ever, and it’s no surprise that she has been welcomed back to star in the planned sequel.

Padmaavat

Deepika Padukone’s last release was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, which also marked her fourth film with now husband Ranveer Singh. Deepika essayed the role of queen Padmavati while Shahid Kapoor played her husband – Maharawal Ratan Singh. Ranveer played the main antagonist in the movie, Alauddin Khilji. While the narrative and subject of the film have been much-debated and even divided critics, Deepika’s brilliant performance in the movie remains an undisputed fact. From the subtle romantic moments she shared with Shahid to the ones where she was supposed to be the king’s real strength – Deepika aced all emotions.

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