First to make 15 films in six years

Published Nov 18, 2013

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Deepika holds a record that could well be the of envy of most of her peers and contemporaries. After bursting on to the scene with Om Shanti Om, she completed as many as 15 films as a Bollywood leading lady in six years – a record that has remained unchallenged. With her film Ram Leela on circuit, Bollywood Hungama’s Joginder Tuteja explores Deepika’s box office journey so far.

 

The ‘big league’ charm

That Deepika isn’t willing to settle for anything less than quality is apparent from the fact that even when offers were pouring in long before Om Shanti Om came along, she was playing the waiting game.

A music video with Himesh Reshammiya was a good enough trigger for her soaring popularity on the Hindi audience circuit and once Om Shanti Om was announced as her launching pad, the game was on.

Om Shanti Om was offered at the time when Shahrukh Khan was fresh from working on films like Don – The Chase Begins, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Paheli.

None of these being the quintessentially romantic films one associates with Shahrukh, one would have expected him to play it safe and choose a popular heroine who would play the all-important role of Shanti.

However, he and director Farah Khan were convinced Deepika was the girl for the job and soon her grooming began full throttle.

As it turned out, the film was a dream start for her.

The audience also approved and the film had record opening takings at the box office.

By the time it ended its run, Deepika was the first debutant to have appeared in a film that made billions at the box office.

The industry welcomed her with open arms and now it was up to Deepika to make the best of the platform created for her.

Making calculated choices

Luckily for Deepika, she had good advisers around her. Coupled with this was that here was a woman who ensured that no rash decisions were made.

She signed a film with each of three of the hottest stars in the industry, Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, giving a clear signal that she wanted to consolidate her place as a commercial actress and wasn’t thinking of experimenting.

Chandni Chowk To China looked good on paper as it would give Deepika a chance to get into the skin of a Chinese character.

There was also Love Aaj Kal, directed by Imtiaz Ali.

It was clear that Deepika had done her homework well – and her calculations had yielded good results.

Exposure a no-no

While good attention was coming her way as she was a leading lady who could act as well as dance, one thing that separated Deepika from others of her ilk was her non-exposure stance.

Priyanka Chopra (Andaaz), Katrina Kaif (Boom) and Kangana Ranaut (Gangster) had each indulged in a skin show to a fair degree in their first big screen outing.

Deepika, however, stayed away from wearing anything that would make her feel uncomfortable.

Her stand was clear: she had to be accepted more for her acting than for the magazine covers she would have gained if she had shown more skin.

That’s a stance Deepika has maintained through all the years.

Although there may have been an occasional bikini shot in Housefull or a bohemian dress-up in Break Ke Baad, Deepika has safeguarded herself from being accused of resorting to showing skin to enhance her career.

‘I have arrived’

With the industry agreeing to Deepika’s terms and conditions, it was time for the most hectic year of her short career yet – 2010 – when as many as five of her films were released one after the other.

She couldn’t be blamed for that either. After all, when there are makers like Yash Raj Films, Sajid Nadiadwala, Ashutosh Gowariker, Kunal Kohli and Farhan Akhtar each lining up a film for you, the temptation is hard to resist.

Especially so when the co- stars are as diverse as Akshay, Imran Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhishek Bachchan and Neil Nitin Mukesh.

These films presented a great opportunity for Deepika to balance films with estab- lished superstars, like those named above, and upcoming stars.

Her biggest success in 2010 was with Akshay (Housefull).

The rest of the films were a mixed bag as Lafangey Parindey and Break Ke Baad turned out to be average successes, Karthik Calling Karthik just passed muster, and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey was a disaster. Unfortunately for Deepika, these films didn’t add much to her fan following either. If there was any silver lining, it was that she was delivering at least one hit a year.

An average year again

The scripts continued to follow the same course in 2011, although a clear hit from Deepika was sorely missed.

She was appreciated for her fiery performance in Aarakshan, but the film was such a mess it couldn’t be elevated, despite the combined powers of Amitabh Bachchan, Prakash Jha and Saif Ali Khan.

On the other hand, Desi Boyz managed to scrape through, but it was obvious that Deepika had been roped in mainly for her Jhak Maar Ke act.

Although she was paired opposite John Abraham in this film led by Akshay, Deepika ensured she sizzled in several sequences at least.

She also managed to give a good account of her comic timing, helping her win the hearts of a few more moviegoers. – bollywoodhungama.com

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