Bollywood’s current reigning Queen, Deepika Padukone has not just delivered fantastic performances throughout her career but has also been a vocal advocate about mental health issues – a topic that is rarely broached by her peers in the film industry. Call it good PR or just an innate sense of strength, Padukone has weathered numerous storms in her career – from the controversy around her film, Padmaavat where there was a bounty on her head (a politician offered a reward of $1.5m for beheading the actress) to picking a film as crucial like Chhapaak as her first production venture, the actress has done it all.
In 2018, Padukone was named in Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.
Add to all of that, Padukone is also an exceptionally stunning diva. Statuesque and outrageously beautiful, the actress is one of India’s most desirable women.
From her debut in Om Shanti Om to Piku, we catalogue some of the best pictures that prove why she is the ultimate Bollywood bombshell.
Only Deepika Padukone could have pulled off the old-world charm in the 2007 romantic fantasy drama. From her bouffant to the winged eyeliner to being the ultimate millennial woman, Padukone was a class apart.
Imagine being in a film with Ranbir Kapoor and Bipasha Basu and still walking away with all the accolades. Padukone looked like a dream in ‘Khuda Jaane’ and let’s face it – her intense chemistry with Kapoor ensured that the film became the first hit of Kapoor’s career.
In this Shah Rukh Khan starrer, Padukone made a brief appearance in an item number titled ‘Love Mera Hit Hit’. While the film remains largely forgotten, Padukone’s appearance in the song and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s appearance in ‘Marjaani Marjaani’ remain the top eye-catchers.
The official poster of Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal shows Padukone in a white top and yellow shorts, almost smooching an equally dishy Saif Ali Khan. The film was a massive hit, so much so, that when another Love Aaj Kal released in 2020, people couldn’t stop comparing Sara Ali Khan to Padukone.
‘Uff teri ada’. Enough said.
The title song for this film was so sexually charged that there was a court case filed against it for indecency. The song, of course, reminds us of the iconic Zeenat Aman and the fact that Padukone managed to make it her own is testament to her beauty and audience-pulling power.
Ah, Veronica. This film changed Padukone’s professional life and career and gave Hindi cinema one of its most gorgeous and admirable characters.
The film may have been meh but Padukone looked like a tall glass of Mojito on a sunny day in Bali.
From a shy wallflower to the ultimate ‘Dilli wali girlfriend’, Padukone’s stunning transformation was there for all to see.
We still think of ‘Ang Laga De’ as the ultimate seduction number. Dressed in all-white with her bronze body glowing amidst the smoky haze conjured up by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Padukone was a goddess on-screen.
ML Entertainment