The fruit of your own hard work is the sweetest.
Deepika Padukone
I am someone who can't hold on to negativity or hold on to grudges. I might feel something at a certain point, but I get tired after that. I don't carry it with me. I forgive and forget very easily, and that's the only way to be happy and peaceful.
I feel ups and downs are a part of one's career, and this totally depends on how you take it. You can either be knocked down by the negative things, or you can take it in a positive way and learn from it.
My parents have been very supportive, in fact, it was my mother who identified that what I was going through was actually depression. My family and friends never let me feel as if something was wrong with me. They made me feel that what I was going through was okay. They supported my decision to take medication for depression.
I can't resist South Indian cuisine, particularly what is prepared at home. My mom is my favourite cook. She can cook a variety of cuisines. I savour her cooking at home, and she's undoubtedly the best.
I wish to be appreciated not only as a film star but also for the person I am. If I manage to bring a smile on people's faces, then I think I'll be successful.
Diwali means family, so either I go down to Bangalore, or my family comes to Mumbai. I always ensure I take a few days off.
Being sad and being depressed are two different things. Also, people going through depression don't look so, while someone sad will look sad. The most common reaction is, 'How can you be depressed? You have everything going for you. You are the supposed number one heroine and have a plush home, car, movies... What else do you want?'
I am a big foodie, so much so that I eat in every half an hour. This is the secret of my glowing skin.
I like statement earrings.
I am always surrounded by very, very charming men, very intelligent men with a great sense of humour who always keep me entertained and pampered.
To me, the mind and body are one. I'm very transparent, in a way, and people can very easily make out what mood I'm in.
Of course! It takes a lot of strength to mend a broken heart. Channelising energies into your work helps, but also to be able to accept situations for what they are instead of questioning them helps immensely.
I'm quite happy having stuff like quinoa, sushi, and even vegetable juices.
I was in Mauritius, shooting for 'Break Ke Baad,' and I went for skydiving. It was a life-changing experience. Travelling, dancing, and reading are my other pastimes.
I meditate. I breathe out what I can't control and focus on the positives.
I am not very comfortable about dancing at weddings and New Year parties. Maybe it's because of the way I have been brought up; I wouldn't want my family to feel that cringe moment. Dance is an art for me.
Being a movie star isn't easy. It requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice. Your career goes through extreme ups and downs. You are judged all the time. Great things are written about you, but at the same time, not-so-good things are also said. At times, things are said about you that are completely untrue, and people mostly try to pull you down.
It's good to be slightly ambitious, but I believe one shouldn't be too calculative. It's good to be on the edge, but I have never followed my mind. I have always followed my heart. And it has yielded the right results.
At some level, I feel it is nice to know that a film of yours is doing well at the box office and has also got great reviews. That feels like success.
I'll only move in with my husband. There's no question of a live-in relationship.
I think for everything that people say about me as a person today - whether it's about being disciplined and grounded or whatever - I think a lot of it is a credit to my father, who has been a massive influence in my life both professionally and personally.
While I believe that when you are in the glamour industry, you have to look your best, I also believe being skinny is not 'hot and happening.'
My parents never raised their hand or fired me. Their way of disciplining me was to tell me what is right or wrong.
I'm a strong believer in the fact that women are born to multi-task. God has made us like that.
I'm such a big fan of Woody Allen. I once tried staying at the same hotel as him, hoping I would bump into him!
There are days when I love a fresh blow-dry, but sometimes I just go with bedhead.
I have fought my own battle with depression, and it was important for me to bring a little awareness about it for others.
People talk about physical fitness, but mental health is equally important. I see people suffering, and their families feel a sense of shame about it, which doesn't help. One needs support and understanding. I am now working on an initiative to create awareness about anxiety and depression and help people.
You can't create chemistry. In fact, the chemistry between two actors is for people to see, sense, and judge. The only thing we can do as actors is to come on board individually because we feel the same kind of passion for a script and for a director to cast us because he feels that, as actors, we'll do justice to that part.
'Piku' was driven by subtleties. Most films come with the padding of the sound, the visual, the drama.
India is home, and that's never going to change.
I believe chemistry is based on the trust between two performers. What actually works is something intangible - being extremely comfortable in each other's presence.
I hate kitten heels; they're useless. Either wear heels that are dangerous, or don't wear them at all.
Maybe because I am from a sports background, I don't give up easily. I am a fighter.
I have a lot of friends, but my biggest fear is loneliness. I miss my family in Mumbai, and my biggest nightmare every day is to go back home alone.
I don't have an issue with marrying an actor, though it's definitely tough. I work with actors and interact with star wives, and I don't know how they do it. Loyalty is a very important factor for me, and I need to be in a relationship where the person will complete me and fill me up.
I have always believed that chemistry can't be created between two people. You either have it or you don't. The script can only enhance it.
I was born in Copenhagen, and when I was a year old, we moved to Bangalore. I was always a shy person and was happy with just a few friends and that came from my own social awkwardness. I did not know how to make conversations.
When I finished 'Cocktail,' it took me a very long time to get out of Veronica's mindspace, behaviour, and zone. I had to reconnect with who I am. It is a similar story with 'Bajirao Mastani.' Some films demand that.
I need to be loved. I need to be nurtured. I also need peace and stability in my relationships. I can't be in volatile relationships.
Comedy is the most difficult. Comic timing is something which you either have it in you, or you don't. You have to have a good sense of humour to be able to understand it. A split second can make you lose the punch.
I've not really watched too many English films. I've grown up watching Indian cinema, mostly.
I am methodical to the point of being obsessive-compulsive. And I have always been good at multi-tasking.
My character in 'Cocktail' was different from my personality. Homi Adajania took me to London, showed me how girls dress and behave there. I had not seen that kind of lifestyle before.
Preparation is definitely important, but it depends on the kinds of roles I do. Like, I completely identify with my character in 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.' I had to be myself and I didn't have to actually prepare for it.
For me, competition is good; that is what keeps me on my toes and keeps me going. I am always trying to better my own work, do better than my earlier films... do films that are challenging and exciting for me.
The best feeling is when you are remembered for the character you play on the screen and people associate you with that character. There is no better feeling than that feeling.
I have always been focused on my job. No profession allows you the luxury of being half-focused. If you're not into it, you're not there. And the film industry is all the more harsh in these cases, perhaps because it's a business of the limelight.
Even though I played national level badminton, I told my parents when I was in 10th that I was not interested in continuing. Being a model or actor fascinated me from a young age, and I even did a couple of ads when I was just eight years old.
