Filmmaker who introduced Deepika Padukone says she was always destined to go global: ‘I saw focus, hunger, discipline’

While Om Shanti Om made Deepika Padukone a household name, the actor's debut was not in the Hindi film industry.

The doe-eyed Shantipriya and Sandy in Farah Khan’s 2007 hit Om Shanti Om might have made Deepika Padukone a household name, but that wasn’t her debut. The actor, whose mother tongue is Konkani, debuted in the film industry with a comparatively lesser-known Kannada film. Starring one of Sandalwood’s superstars, Upendra, it was a commercial success at the box office.

Deepika Padukone's first film was a Kannada film that starred Upendra in the lead role.

Filmmaker who introduced Deepika Padukone

Indrajit Lankesh was the director who introduced Deepika to the film industry with his 2006 hit Aishwarya, an official remake of Nagarjuna’s Telugu hit Manmadhudu (2002), with portions inspired by Suriya’s Tamil hit Ghajini (2005).

Indrajit played badminton with Deepika before he became a director and she became an actor. The actor’s father is badminton pro Prakash Padukone, and she played the sport as a teenager in championships. The director recently told TOI, “I was actually playing badminton with Deepika back when she was playing for the state. Later, I became a director, and she became an actor. When I was already four films old as a director, I wanted to sign her. She was a model at that time, and the day I met her to narrate Aishwarya, I knew she was a star in the making,” he recalled.

Indrajit says he was so impressed by her focus and professionalism even before she faced the camera that he knew she was destined to go global. “I saw the focus, hunger, ambition and discipline in her. I actually told her while shooting that I didn't think she would be limited to Kannada or Bollywood; I felt she had what it takes to become a global star,” he said. The director also spoke about the actor’s 8-hour working day mandate, stating that he ‘entirely agrees’ with her. Indrajit also claimed that when actors shoot beyond eight hours, it shows on camera.

Motherhood and career

After Om Shanti Om, Deepika has starred in films such as Bachna Ae Haseeno, Love Aaj Kal, Housefull and Cocktail. In 2017, she ventured into Hollywood, starring in xXx: Return of Xander Cage alongside Vin Diesel. Her most recent films were Siddharth Anand’s Fighter, Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again, and Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD in Telugu in 2024.

Deepika and Ranveer had been dating since 2012 after they fell in love while shooting Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. They married in 2018 at Lake Como, Italy. In September 2024, their first child, daughter Dua Padukone Singh, was born. On September 19 this year, the couple announced the birth of their second child, another daughter.

Deepika now has Siddharth’s King with Shah Rukh Khan lined up, as well as Atlee’s Telugu film Raaka with Allu Arjun. Inradjit now has a Hindi film titled Jai Hind Jai Sindh: A Love Story lined up.