Deepika Padukone born (5 January 1986) is an Indian film actress and model. One of the most popular and highest-paid Indian celebrities, she has established a career in Hindi films, and is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards.
Padukone, the daughter of the badminton player Prakash Padukone, was born in Copenhagen and raised in Bangalore. As a teenager she played badminton in national level championships, but left her career in sport to become a fashion model. She soon received offers for film roles, and made her acting debut in 2006 as the titular character of the Kannada film Aishwarya. Padukone then played dual roles in her first Bollywood release—the 2007 blockbuster “Om Shanti Om” and won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Padukone received praise for portraying the lead female roles in the romance “Love Aaj Kal ” (2009) and the drama “Lafangey Parindey” (2010), but her performances in the romantic comedy “Bachna Ae Haseeno” (2008) and the comedy “Housefull” (2010) met with negative reviews.
The 2012 box office hit “Cocktail” marked a turning point in Padukone’s career, earning her praise and Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies. She went on to star in the comedies: “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” (2013), “Chennai Express” (2013), and “Happy New Year” (2014), all of which rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films. She also garnered praise for her performances in the tragic romance “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela” (2013), for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, the comedy-drama “Piku” (2015), and for portraying Mastani in “Bajirao Mastani” (2015).
