Editor talks about the 200 crore club actress, Deepika Padukone

She portrayed the geek who never found love in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Deepika Padukone,

There is something about Deepika Padukone that endears you to her no matter what. Maybe it’s her 10,000 watts infectious smile that lights you up whether you’re meeting her up, close and personal or on screen. Or maybe it’s her sheer beauty that mesmerises you every time you gaze upon her. The symmetry of her features makes you feel like taking geometry all over again. And maybe it’s the fact that the lovely lass can actually make conversation. She can hold her own on any given topic and like a good conversationalist, she listens (or at least pretends to listen) to your side of the story too. She knows how to floor the media with her charm and hence press meets with her are always smooth sailing.

 And she’s someone who isn’t just cruising along on mere hot looks. She knows that beauty alone isn’t enough and takes pains to go that extra mile and get into the groove of her onscreen characters. She showed this trait from her first film itself. She not only held her own opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om but played her double roles with the finesse of a veteran. Her last confrontational scene with Arjun Rampal in the film would have done Vyjayanthimala proud. For those who came in late, OSO was hugely inspired by Madhumati.

She came into her own in Love Aaj Kal, where she played a feisty modern girl coming to terms with love and breakup and having an emotional control over herself, unlike the typical Hindi film heroine who shed buckets when ditched. She went a step ahead in Cocktail where she plays a today’s girl who would rather be friendly with someone than be a clingy girlfriend. Yes, the film maintained stereotypes that bad girls don’t get the guy. But thanks to her real-life portrayal, you don’t end up hating the bad girl. She doesn’t come out as a vamp but a sorted individual who sticks to the choices she makes. Someone who knows that it’s alright to make mistakes. That you don’t have to be perfect all the time.

She portrayed the geek who never found love in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Methinks such a pretty nerd would have boyfriends galore. Anyways, she made that unoriginal role believable and made us fall in love with her character. In Chennai Express, she teamed up once again with her OSO co-star Shah Rukh Khan. Her comic timing was out of this world and she has shown the world that apart from doing eye-candy roles and grey-shaded characters, she can make people laugh with her poker face antics as well. The wonder girl graces our cover this fortnight. So read on for some dishy copy and some drool worthy photos