Deepika Padukone finishes another year around the sun today and 2023 kicks off with the actor’s big movie release. Deepika is ready to share his space on screen with Shah Rukh his Khan in patterns. Deepika ended 2022 in a controversial fashion, with religious symbolism and color theory experts chasing her for the color of her bikini.
But this isn’t the first time Deepika has been called out besharam in her career. Over the years, news channels, politicians, social media users, and even quirky advertising executives have been pissed off at Deepika’s opinions, her waistline, neckline and hemline, and even her film choices. But as usual, or most of the time, Deepika dealt with hatred and personal attacks by maintaining dignified silence.
Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that Deepika has not only proven herself to be an accomplished actor, but has cemented herself as a fashion icon on the world stage. Last year, she signed a sponsorship deal with European luxury brand and sports giant Adidas. She also launched her own skin care brand and continues to speak publicly about the importance of addressing her stigma regarding her mental health. However, her great success is often accompanied by great controversy.
Deepika made a great debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan with Om Shanti Om, but what followed was a string of mediocre performances. Ranbir’s awkward breakup with the ghosts of her other boyfriend’s past took everyone away from her career and professional achievements until she wowed us all with her stellar performance as Veronica in Cocktail. I threatened to lose focus.
Her big commercial breakthrough came when Sanjay Leela Bhansari cast her opposite Ranveer Singh in Goliyon Ki Rasleela, Ram Leela. Ranveer was also just a few movies. The rest, as they say, was the beginning of superstardom. It was not before Deepika’s first attempt at
came a few years later Padmabat faced major backlash, in some political and religious attire, threatens to harm Deepika. The fact that Padmavat is based on Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayashi’s epic and does not confirm any historical event seemed to be forgotten by most. In what may be the first time in cinematic history, a leading woman’s blouse has been digitally lengthened to buy peace.
Shortly before Chappak’s release in 2019, her maiden venture as a producer, Deepika, went silent with Delhi’s JNU student attacked after participating in an anti-CAA protest in Delhi. was a promotional act for her upcoming film, but it was very brave to appear in public with a group of dissident students. When I looked away from the problem and remained deafeningly quiet.
After the death of Sushant Singh Rajput in 2020, Kangana Ranaut accused Deepika of faking his battle with depression and asked him not to force the angle of mental illness into Sushant’s death. Deepika chose not to comment on or reply to Kangana’s vicious personal attacks, but she remained committed to the cause of removing the taboo on mental health.
The only time she seemed to react without taking a name was when adman Freddie Vardy shared a bizarre sexist post with Ananya Pandey. Deepika Padukone outfit when promoting GehraiyaanFreddie, who otherwise appears to be a very progressive wordsmith, writes:
Freddie’s followers were also shocked by the sexist nuances of his post, and even the normally non-confrontational Ms. Padukone responded with a cryptic Instagram story she wrote. They forgot to mention idiots. The battle of words didn’t end there. In another post, Freddie later claimed she wasn’t ashamed of her clothing choices, saying calling him an idiot was the only non-pretentious thing she’d said in her entire career. The storm was quickly blown when people realized that Geraiyan ironically had no depth and would never accept a woman’s clothing choices.
After an infamous chat with Karan Johar, where she dug Ranbir for being unfaithful, Deepika chose the path of silence over sensationalism. Her lack of response, at least publicly, while dealing with controversy, could be perceived as a lack of political correctness or courage. In a time when art is hard to find, Deepika probably says it best when she says nothing.
Pattern promotion will begin soon, and Padukone will once again be in the public eye. There could be more controversy regarding the film, which members of India’s majority political party seem to gleefully attack. But just as she has dealt with her past controversies with her self-control and maturity, I hope Deepika will not allow the Beshalmi of others to influence her Sharafat.