Those who have a deep interest in the Indian film industry are not unaware of the evolving trends within it. Our films have always embraced the fusion of two cultures. This is why many Muslim actresses and actors have entered the industry under changed names, so much so that the public was often unaware of their actual religion. Early on, we saw actresses like Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Reena Roy, and Leena Chandavarkar hide their religion by changing their names. On the other hand, some actresses married outside their religion and adopted new names. However, this change was mostly symbolic. For example, even though Sharmila Tagore married Nawab Mansur Ali Pataudi and became Ayesha Sultana, she is still widely known by her popular name, Sharmila Tagore.
However, by the end of the century, Zeenat Aman became one of the first actresses who brought her parents' original names, from different countries, to the screen without any changes. In the current century, a new trend emerged where actresses stopped hiding their identities altogether and entered the industry with their real names, even if those names were foreign and not traditionally Indian. Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Sunny Leone were warmly welcomed by the Hindi film audience. These foreign-born, foreign-educated actresses intrigued the Indian public.
Interestingly, Deepika Padukone was also born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Despite being an Indian actress whose mother tongue is Konkani and who was raised in Karnataka, the fact that she was born abroad added to the intrigue around her. Several aspects contributed to Deepika's popularity and acceptance naturally.
While many actors and actresses sweat it out in the gym, go jogging, and follow balanced diets to achieve a fit body for films, Deepika Padukone herself has been a professional athlete who represented the country in badminton. "What not?"—meaning, what was there that didn't work in her favor? In 2007, amidst heavy competition from many newcomers, Deepika Padukone's career took off like a soaring kite.
"Om Shanti Om" not only became the biggest film of the year but also set several box office records internationally. When an actor’s first film becomes a huge success, two options typically present themselves. The first option is to get carried away by that success and sign every film offered, and of course, numerous offers come pouring in because in the film world, it's hard to tell what's good or bad. Here, whoever clicks is considered the best! For some time, your films come and go, and you make the most of your momentary fame. Who knows when your success might lose its fragrance or when people might grow tired of your name?
The second option is to become even more cautious after achieving success and choose projects carefully, giving your best, so that your reputation grows—not just your paycheck. People eagerly await your next project, and your work becomes timeless. Of course, a bigger paycheck follows, because after all, it's an industry, and profit is naturally tied to worth.
Everyone expected maturity from an actress as seasoned as Deepika Padukone, and she lived up to those expectations by not hurriedly signing numerous films. At the prestigious Filmfare Awards, her name once again worked its magic. She was awarded as the year’s most attractive new discovery for her debut and even received a nomination for Best Actress in her very first film. Being nominated for Best Actress indicated that she was considered one of the top five actresses of the year.
Deepika’s popular face continued to appear regularly in advertisements. Around the same time, another interesting conversation started among film lovers. People claimed that the reason for the immense popularity of films in society is because of the stars. They said film stars are more popular than politicians, athletes, writers, painters, singers, musicians, scientists, doctors, lawyers, or teachers because the whole of society is reflected in the film stars of a given era. This might sound strange, but it’s similar to how twelve zodiac signs are said to encompass all the people in the world, just as the actors and actresses of a certain period represent almost everyone of that era.
In simple terms, this means that every man or woman finds some commonality with one actor or actress. Isn’t that fascinating? Over fifty years, or about half a century, a whole generation changes, and then society starts repeating itself in terms of appearance. This repetition is somewhat evident in film stars too.
Adherents of this theory often compared the actresses and actors of the first decade of the new century with those from the sixth and seventh decades of the last century, which was coincidentally considered the golden era of films. According to this theory, Deepika Padukone was compared to Waheeda Rehman, a popular actress of that time. It’s difficult to say what the exact similarity between them was, but by looking at both, one can understand the idea behind this theory.
Whatever the reason, Deepika’s next three years were fairly ordinary, with her working in only a few films. Despite receiving critical appreciation, no major success came her way during this period. In the film industry, appreciation and success are two very different things.
