May 12, 2023, Mumbai: Bollywood film star Deepika Padukone, the latest Indian celebrity to appear on the cover of TIME magazine, says she feels none of the “constant political backlash” she has faced in her more than 15-year career. In her initial interview with an American portal, the actress spoke briefly about being in the eye of the storm over ‘Padmavat’ for allegedly distorting historical facts, her solidarity with JNU students during the release of her first production Chhapaak and recently, dealing with allegations of hurting religious feeling by wearing a “saffron” bikini as a Pakistani spy in the song Pathaan Besharam Rang.
According to a TIME magazine story, there was a “long pause” when Padukone was asked about the “constant political backlash”. “I don’t know if I should feel anything about it. But the truth is, I don’t feel anything about it,” the 37 year old said.
She joins a long list of Indian names, including industry peers Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who have graced the cover of TIME magazine.In 2018, she was part of TIME magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People’ along with former Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder of the taxi service Ola. In an article titled ‘Deepika Padukone Brings the World to Bollywood’ published on May 10, the actor said, “This is India’s moment.” At the 95th Academy Awards earlier this year, Padukone introduced Naatu Naatu, the Oscar winner for Best Original Song from SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster RRR, as a “total banger”.The Danish born film personality sat on the exclusive jury of the 75th Cannes Film Festival and became the first Indian brand ambassador for international fashion brands like Louis Vuitton and Cartier. She regularly makes waves during her appearances at fashion events like the Met Gala. “Indian cinema has crossed borders and Indians are everywhere.
So fame goes wherever you go… I didn’t have a game plan to get here, but I didn’t see failure in my vision,” Padukone said. , who started her career as a model in commercials and music videos.
“This is India’s moment. So how can I take the best of East and West? There is India with our roots, our heritage, our history, but there is also a new and young India emerging. It is these two Indias that are coming together which I find really fascinating at the moment,” she added.
Although India won two awards at the 2023 Academy Awards second only to The Elephant Whisperers for Best Documentary Short Subject the actor said that India itself is “starting to realise that its films are not limited to Hindi films’ ‘. “But I don’t think we should be happy about one Oscar for a song and another for a documentary. I hope we can look at this as the beginning of an opportunity,” she emphasised.
Deepika Padukone, last seen in Pathan, is currently on break from shooting for “Fighter”, billed as India’s first aerial action film.
Article by Masina Khan