My nervous excitement

Guess what, guys...I was down with malaria the whole of last week and am still very weak but thankfully recovering. I was bedridden for four days, writes Deepika Padukone.

Guess what, guys… I was down with malaria the whole of last week and am still very weak but thankfully recovering. It happened all of a sudden and was a pretty serious one because it was diagnosed quite late. I was bedridden for four days and even had to cancel the shoot (something that I have never done before).

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All I did was sleep and absorb ‘sounds’ of London while lying lazily in my room — Police cars, ambulances, drunkards in the alley and even the ‘sound of silence’. I realised that for once, it’s tough being away from home for months on end and worse still if you fall ill. At times like these, you also start paying attention to details you’ve been turning a blind eye to.

But anyway, on a brighter side — my movie Love Aaj Kal releases this Friday and I’m so excited, you know! All my films will be special but some will be a little more special than the others and this definitely is one of them.

Just like Om Shanti Om was. Strangely, it’s the same nervousness, anxiousness and excitement that I felt before Om Shanti Om (hope that means something!).

I think it was also the process of making this film that makes it so special. The relationship I shared with everyone on that unit will always remain with me. I made friends with the sensitive and receptive Imtiaz; hyperactive and all-over-the-place Saif; everything’s-fine-and-under-control Dinesh (the producer) —famously known as Dinoo; the guy-who-takes-a-10-min-snooze-after-lunch Nutty Sir (the camera man); Rajesh, the first assistant director who pronounced thirty as ‘tutty’; Satish, my secret admirer on the sets who used to collect any item belonging to me that fell on the floor — from hairpins and sequins from my dresses to used tissues and even took a painting of mine (but, hey, it’s no more a secret!); Yashika who has a huge crush on Saif and Sunaina — quiet , polite and obedient. With Friendship Day round the corner, it’s only natural to be missing their company.

I should also share with all of you the experience of shooting for the song, Chor bazaari from Love Aaj Kal. There’s a shot where Saif and I sitting atop a taxi that’s being driven around the streets of Old Delhi!

God, what a strange sight that must have been for onlookers! For the same song, I was also made to dance at a local dhaba where I pretended to be drunk and danced on top of a table with a fake jaam in my hand while the truck drivers surrounded me!

Experiences like these are special as they make me realise that I would never get a chance to do something as wild and fun-filled as this. So that makes Chor Bazaari my favourite song in the film. Dooriyan, also on the album, is one of the most beautifully written songs I have ever heard. It talks of love, distance and relationships. But before I take off endlessly on that topic, I should sign off! Getting into a shot now… see you later. And do write to me!