Deepika Padukone is managing to hold her own in a fickle industry. With back-to-back releases year after year and speaking her mind on issues that she holds dear, the queen bee of Bollywood knows how to strengthen her reign. In town for promoting Piku, she opens up to Rinku Ghosh about being someone who can sit cross-legged at the end of a tiring day, internalising her characters and fighting critics
How has your role in Piku helped in your growth as an actor considering you are not only pitted against two industry veterans but also because your character steps out of the man-woman relationship and studies a parent-child oneIJ
The cinematic medium itself is an extremely intangible process of growth; it is based on emotions and feelings. So it will be difficult to specify that this and this is what I have learnt. But I have definitely learnt and grown as a person. I think my journey is a classic example of how the film-making craft has shaped me as an actor in this industry. I came from a non-film background with absolutely no experience. Now with 15-20 films, I find myself enjoying the craft much more than I did seven years ago. I think that in itself is an example of how every film teaches you something, every experience is a lesson. I give a part of myself to every character that I play and similarly there is something for me as an actor to learn from every character that I play. It is a give-and-take but because it is based on that intangible quality of human emotion and feeling, I won’t be able to quantify it.
Shooting Piku has been a pleasant and peaceful experience for me. When we called a wrap, I knew I was going to miss everyone. I was in Ahmedabad when we canned the last shot. It was like... ‘Ho gaya.. bas khatamIJ’ After that, we used to find excuses to meet each other. Piku is a wholesome family entertainer. I think such a film is being made after ages.
Piku is being touted as a slice-of-life film. How much did you research for the roleIJ
I took references from my own life. I am a daughter at the end of the day and the emotions just came naturally to me. I am sure had Shoojit cast anybody else in that character, she too would have found the emotions flowing naturally. We are all children of somebody, so that feeling of unconditional love, respect, admiration, dependence, connectedness, conversations, even routine ones, are the same in every household. What is different is the fact that Bhaskar Banerjee (Piku’s father played by Amitabh Bachchan) is very different from my real life father. So how I deal or interact with my father is different from what Piku does in the movie, but in every other way, it’s a feeling that came very naturally.
What was difficult for me was the way Shoojit shot the film beside the mechanics of the character. Piku is chaotic and tries to balance everything in life. She does multi-tasking. So for me, giving shots when I was talking and doing some activity like washing clothes or cooking simultaneously was a task. It was like a live theatre. I was very much required to be part of every moment.
What are the fondest moments with your dadIJ
Every time I think of my father, I think of him in a lungi. Whenever I misbehaved and my mother reprimanded me, he would be forced to punish me. There was a store room in our kitchen, so he would lock me there for a few minutes. But then immediately, he would feel bad about confining me and take me out. He used to give me Waterbury’s Compound every morning before dropping me to school so that I did not catch seasonal cold. After school, I would go to the court to play badminton and he was always waiting there for me. We used to have family vacations every year.
Were you ever intimidated by the presence of Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan KhanIJ
I have worked with Amitji before in Aarakshan but I had never met Irrfan Khan. So my outlook about him was limited to what I had gathered through the media. I thought he was intense, serious and would look down upon me thinking I’m a commercial heroine. But when I met him on set, it was like a discovery. He has a terrific sense of humour. Most people do not know about it. Meeting and discovering him on the sets only added to our experience of shooting. Basically, Piku is about discovering yourself and relationships, so we came to know each other in real life as well as reel. It was a rare moment for me, living what you are actually enacting on screen. Both Amitji and Irrfan made me feel comfortable, somewhat like Shah Rukh during Om Shanti Om. I never felt intimidated.
How do you choose offbeat films like Finding Fanny or Piku when, as a commercial actor, there is always pressure on you to deliver multi-grossersIJ
I don’t think I have ever categorised films as commercial or arthouse. Choosing Finding Fanny was no different from the way I chose Chennai Express. Both may cater to different sections of the audience but my process as an actor has always been the same and that is to follow my instinct. If the role seems meaty enough for me to sink my teeth into, I take it up.
I meet everyone who offers me a film instead of going through somebody in between. If I don’t have the time to meet the concerned person, he/she sends me the script or the synopsis in case the script is not ready. But I have never said no to a person without knowing what he/she has to offer. My process is simple: First, the instinct, second the script and then the director. Whether I do a Finding Fanny or Chennai Express, the amount of conviction or relatability that goes into doing a film is the same, so why should I differentiateIJ
Since you do a string of films in a year, how do you focus on each character that you playIJ
Focus comes from conviction. Even though there are three releases this year, they have hardly overlapped. So I finished Piku first. Towards the end and beginning of Tamasha, there was a bit of overlap and now towards the end of Tamasha and beginning of Bajirao Mastani, there is some intersection. However, the only time it was really hectic was when I stepped in for Ram-leela at the last stage of casting though I had already committed to Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express. The heroine for Ram-leela refused it and they were suddenly looking for another. I jumped at the opportunity and told my team that this was going to be a tough year but such opportunities would never come back. I won my first Filmfare for that film and that’s another story. It was an interesting year for me with four releases, Race, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Ram-leela and Chennai Express. All the characters and films were very different from each other and allowed me a range to exploit that doesn’t come easy for many.
I know it’s not the most ideal situation. I would want a lot of time to prepare for each character. I want to complete shooting one film, take a break and then prepare for the next before its shoot. But reality teaches you to manage. For me, the minute I read the material of a film, the minute I walk into that set and the minute I get into that costume, I become that character. I am a little bit of someone who wants to rehearse and a bit of someone who would want to see what happens spontaneously. I internalise each of my characters in such a way that they stay with me even after the films have been completed. If tomorrow you ask me to become Meenamma, I may take some time but then glibly slip into that mode very easily. The characters linger in my head; that’s how much I let them in.
Do you see the role of women actors and their onscreen depiction changing in the Hindi film industryIJ
I think we are in a great space right now and it is only going to get better. I think what we have always wanted for ourselves has been equality and balance in every department and I think we are getting there. I can see that, at least in my case. I am not someone who believes that one is superior to the other. In terms of roles that I am being offered, the directors that I am getting to work with or how these films are doing at the box office, it’s an exciting time to be in the industry.
Are all leading ladies vocal about pay parityIJ
We are definitely on the same page on what the situation is right now or what we would like it to be when we talk about equality. It is clear from Oscar winner Patricia Arquette’s speech that pay parity is something of an issue in Hollywood as well. I am pretty sure the glass ceiling is across many professions. But I always look at the positive side. At least things are changing now. It may not be where it should be but we are headed in the right direction.
You recently spoke about your own struggle with depression. Why did you choose to come out with itIJ
In my case, my family, friends and doctors helped me. But I realised that you need to find your inner strength. You can have all the support system around you but until you decide that you will help yourself, nothing is possible. At that time, your mind is not really talking to anyone. It’s doing everything on its own. So it is important to discover your inner strength and fight that battle within. It started with me, then went on to others.
Your My Choice video invited wrath from social media pundits claiming that you endorsed infidelity...
The video received mixed reactions and that did not bother me. It was a bit disappointing to know that certain lines were pulled out of context and blown completely out of proportion and we missed the larger point that the film was trying to make... I have personally never endorsed infidelity. I respect the institution of marriage. I am someone who completely believes in being faithful and honest. But the film was somebody else’s creative vision, had a larger backdrop and many more women achievers in it. I am not defending anything, people are right in their place if they have an issue with it. I just felt disappointed that they felt I was endorsing certain things that I do not.
As a very successful actor in the industry, do you think you are being judged too harshlyIJ
I think everything that I am today or where I draw the courage and strength from is the appreciation and love that I get from my viewers and fans. That’s what keeps me going. You work hard endlessly and you want that acknowledgement and that motivates you. Of course, there will be some people who will pull you down or question you on everything that you do, but I find that, too, inspiring. I get the opposite perspective. That’s how life is, it is not always as you want it to be. I always look at the positive side of things, I look at all the people who inspire, encourage and love me for who I am and what I am.
Piku has four songs. Which one’s your favouriteIJ
Music is situational but great. It’s the kind of music that grows on you. Most music today is short-lived. You listen to songs for a month or two or party over them and forget. But Piku’s music will live for a long time. My favourite track is Bezubaan. It’s romantic and connects to my personality.