Actresses can't be pals, says Deepika

Rajeev Masand:Hello and welcome to our special show To Catch A Star. My guest today is a stunning young lady who made a big impression in her very first film. And since then she has stayed firmly in the public consciouness for the exciting private and personal choices that she has made. So without any further ado, let's say hello to the lovely Deepika Padukone.

Deepika Padukone: Hello.

Rajeev Masand: You have been in the film industry for three and a half years now? Tell me some of the bad habits you have picked up since you've become an actress. Maybe like making people wait, not answering calls?

Deepika Padukone: I don't think I am someone who makes people wait. I am quite the person who sticks to time. The sports background that I have has taught me a lot of that. Also the Convent schools that I attended has a lot to do with it.

Rajeev Masand: Love Aaj Kal opposite Saif Ali Khan has been shot allover, from Chandigarh, London, San Francisco..tell me the most exciting place that work has taken you to?

Deepika Padukone: We have shot some amazing shots in the heart of Delhi and the song atop a car was very exciting. People thought we were crazy because the cameras were quite ahead of us.

Rajeev Masand: Are outdoor locations holidays or are they lot of work?

Deepika Padukone: Work is work. You don't really get to see the place as you would if you were travelling on holiday.

Rajeev Masand: What has been the most exciting foreign place that you have been to?

Deepika Padukone: For the song Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno), we have been to some of the most beautiful locations. I remember a sequence where Ranbir and I were in middle of the water in a rock. The crew actually put us on a speedboat and took us there and we were there for half an hour while they got their cameras set. The rocks were very pokey and we were balancing on one leg and again the other and we had to wait for quite sometime.

Rajeev Masand: In a high-profile job like yours, where everyone wants to be your friend and be seen with you, is it easy to know who your real friends are and who are opportunists?

Deepika Padukone: I am quite a reserved, shy, and quite person. I very rarely interact with people I haven't know for a very long time. That's why I always say my best friends are friends from school and the ones that I have grown up with. Those are the friendships that I cherish the most.

Rajeev Masand: In this business, where cat fights and rivalries are so commonplace, can two actresses be friends?

Deepika Padukone: Of course. I don't think two actresses can be best friends unless you have grown up together which again is rare. I have quite a few friends in the industry. They might not be my best friends, I may not have the same relationship with them the way I do with my childhood friends.

But there is always room for being cordial with each other and spend time together once in a while.

Rajeev Masand: Who are your friends in the industry?

Deepika Padukone: Most of them, whether it's Bipasha, Kareena, I've met a couple of times, Priyanka, Asin, Sonam. We don't get to meet very often but we do keep in touch once in a while.

Rajeev Masand: Tell us one thing about Deepika Padukone that nobody knows.

Deepika Padukone: I am a big foodie. People refuse to believe that and refuse to believe that I am not someone who works out very often but it's true.

Rajeev Masand: I wouldn't have guessed looking at that figure!

Deepika Padukone: See!

Rajeev Masand: Let's talk about why you wanted to be an actress. Was Om Shanti Om the right offer at the right time or did you always know that modeling would eventually lead to movies?

Deepika Padukone: I never got into modeling to become an actor but after getting into it, I think I started discovering myself and realising that this is what I really wanted to do.

And sometimes, you don't work towards something but you know you are going to end up in life somewhere doing. I grew up watching all the movies from the 90s, and somewhere I saw myself doing the stuff from the movies and it was the right time Farah offering me Om Shanti Om.

Rajeev Masand:Can you describe how you felt when you found out Om Shanti Om was going to be a real big hit?

Deepika Padukone: Farah was pregnant at that point and Shah Rukh, Arjun, and I had gone to London for the premiere and we were in touch with her constantly. She kept updating us about the movie's release, saying people are raving about you.

When I returned from London, everything had changed. I wasn't expecting all these prior to leaving for London. It is amazing sometimes.

Rajeev Masand:You went from blockbuster Om Shanti Om to choosing the film (Bachna Ae Haseeno) where we were one of three heroines. Tell me why you did the role and was convinced that you wouldn't get lost in the crowd?

Deepika Padukone: There were lot of people who told me not to do this film. But something told me that I should be a part of it. At that point I was too new to understand, may be with time I will know what is right and what is wrong. Just the fact that I got the opportunity to work with Yashraj banner and was being directed by Siddarth and was to work opposite Ranbir... it was a combination of everything.

Rajeev Masand:What have you learnt from the failure of Chandni Chowk to China?

Deepika Padukone: I have learnt that things can go wrong. Not that I was superly confident about the film but it was very sad for the fact that out of the previous films I had put in a lot of hard work (physically) into this film. Its the training and the entire process in the making of Chandni Chowk to China that I would like to cherish.

Rajeev Masand:What drew you to Love Aaj Kal ?

Deepika Padukone: The script and I think Imtiaz's conviction in knowing that I fit that character so perfectly. The character of Meera is very close to the person that I am.

Rajeev Masand:Saif and you make such as interesting pair becasue on the one hand you have someone like Saif who can't stop talking and then you have someone like you who is a girl of few words. How long did it take for the ice to break?

Deepika Padukone: I don't think there were any ice to break. He understood that I am new and I am very quite and reserved. He is a talker. He always has stories to tell.

Rajeev Masand:Do you want a world apart from the world of acting for yourself and that being an actress is not the only thing about you?

Deepika Padukone: Yes, for me that's very important. I think that will bring in a freshness in me and my performances.I don't want to be tired and bogged down by the feeling that I have to do films. I think its important to be connected with other things in life as well.

Rajeev Masand:You are shooting for Kartik Calling Kartik with Farhan Akhtar. Tell me what are the advantages and disadvantages of having a director as your co-star?

Deepika Padukone: It is very enriching to with work with such a multi-talent as Farhan.

Rajeev Masand:Is it difficult to have a normal romantic relationship in Bollywood, for example yours and Ranbir's?

Deepika Padukone: It seems a lot more because we are public figures. The fact is that relationship is surrounded by temptations. It really depends on the couple and how secure you are with each other. We are very sure of where we are headed and what we want. I know for a fact that nothing and no one can come the way of this relationship.

Rajeev Masand:That's lovely. Are you completely unaffected when you read about Ranbir working with all the pretty women, rumours of linkups. Are you completely unaffected?

Deepika Padukone: Of course not. I am a human being and these kind of things do affect me but to a very small extent because I am not insecure. I am very sure of what he wants. He has never made be feel insecure. I am sure it's the same with him also. As long as my man gives me the security that I want ...that's more important.

Rajeev Masand:How do you react to all the Katrina stories?

Deepika Padukone: Honestly, I have no energy left to talk about it. I can't go on talking about it on and on.

Rajeev Masand:Ranbir's parents are not over the moon that the two of you are together. Does it make awkward when you

meet them?

Deepika Padukone: No it doesn't because a) I don't get to meet them very often and b) I think it's too early to be involving families. We have been seeing each other for about a year and a half now and I think there is a while before we actually take the plunge. We don't plan to ge very soon. For us,

our careers are the most important thing at the moment.

Rajeev Masand:What is the rapport that Ranbir shares with your parents?

Deepika Padukone:The same that I have with his family. My parents are extremely fond of him. They think he is extremely talented. They thought that even before watching his first film. But like I said, it's too early to involve them.

Rajeev Masand:All the best and thank you.

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