Ranveer-Deepika to celebrate Deepika’s birthday in New York

Rohit Dhyani:

Deepika Padukone has established a successful career in Bollywood films, and is cited in the media as one of the most popular and attractive Indian celebrities.

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 Film fare Award for Best Female Debut.

Deepika Padukone is not only tasting success, but also literally basking in its glory and rightly so! On her 28th birthday, we take a look at some of her defining moments in Bollywood. The actress has been on a roll in the past few years, with almost each and every release making its way to the much-coveted Rs 100 crore club. On her 29th birthday, we take a look at some of her defining moments in Bollywood.

Deepika Padukone first made her way into this glitzy town with Farah Khan's 'Om Shanti Om' opposite none other than Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan. Not only did Deepika’s performance make fans and critics stand up and take notice of this new face, but the film was a huge commercial success. Later Deepika reunited with 'Om Shanti Om' co-star Shah Rukh Khan for yet another blockbuster, Rohit Shetty’s ‘Chennai Express’. She played Meenalochini Azhagusundaram and absolutely nailed the typical Tamil accent. 'Chennai Express' went on to be the second-highest grossing Bollywood film worldwide.

Bachna Ae Haseeno: Deepika shared screen space with Ranbir Kapoor in Siddharth Anand’s romantic comedy. Set in Australia, Deepika was seen as the gutsy student who is also a cab driver in the city. Though the film opened to mixed opinions, it was declared a hit and performed well at the box office. It was Homi Adajania's 'Cocktail' that proved to be a turning point in her career. Her portrayal of the bold and beautiful Veronica, earned Deepika immense praise and several award nominations. The dimpled beauty showed us that she could be more than just Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes. ‘Cocktail’ was declared a Box office hit, both in India and abroad.

Deepika’s pairing with Saif Ali Khan in Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Love Aaj Kal’ was a big hit. She played Meera Pandit, a headstrong career woman in the love story, that revolved around the changing value of relationships among youngsters. The film went on to become the third-highest grossing film of the year. In 2013, Deepika Padukone appeared in multi-starrer ‘Race 2’ alongside Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Ameesha Patel and Jacqueline Fernandez. Though the critics weren’t very kind to it, the Bollwyood thriller was the first film to enter the Rs 100 crore club that year.

Deepika scorched screens with her performance of Leela in Sanjay Bhansali’s ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’ opposite rumoured lover, Ranveer Singh. The duo enthralled and seduced their audience in the Indian adaptation of Shakespearean play ‘Romeo and Juliet’. ‘Ram-Leela’ was declared a massive commercial hit and is one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2013.


Deepika Padukone once again joined forces with Shah Rukh Khan for a third time in Farah Khan’s multi-starrer 'Happy New Year'. Deepika Padukone once again joined forces with Shah Rukh Khan for a third time in Farah Khan’s multi-starrer 'Happy New Year'. Alongside her acting career, Padukone participates in stage shows, has written columns for an Indian newspaper, and is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products. Her off-screen life is the subject of fervent tabloid reporting in India.