A thread to debunk the lies being peddled against Deepika Padukone.
She moved to Mumbai and it was only after several TV commercials, modelling gigs and a Kannada movie that she landed her first film- OSO. She was so grateful that she chose to forego any remuneration for it.
She moved to Mumbai and it was only after several TV commercials, modelling gigs and a Kannada movie that she landed her first film- OSO. She was so grateful that she chose to forego any remuneration for it.
Deepika Padukone’s philanthropy only came to the forefront in 2015 but it was way back in 2010 that she adopted a village in Maharashtra after she found out it was cut short of electricity supply. She’s also been attached to the OGQ founded to support indian athletes.
Deepika’s contribution to the field of mental health has been chronicled by the media- her foundation has been the recipient of the Dr Gueslain award 2019 and the Crystal Ball 2020. She chose to address the subject of mental health during her Time 100 ‘Most Influential’ speech.
For her maiden production, Deepika co-produced ‘Chhapaak’, based on the life of Laxmi Aggarwal, an acid attack survivor. The film was declared tax-free across several states in India and also met with critical acclaim. The film saw her share screen space with Vikrant Massey.
I had to make special mention of what made me the proudest of Deepika. She lent her voice in support of the decriminalisation of Section 377, a landmark judgment for the LGBT . She’d later shared pictures of a Pride parade where members of the community had dressed up as her.
Padukone started being more picky about her brand endorsements post 2018. She was endorsing close to 20 brands at a point but has since disassociated with ones she feels are detrimental to society and health. She’s instead been investing in brands that she creatively aligns with.
Social media has only made us hateful and spiteful and the most convenient thing to do is to believe rumours being spread by trolls and hate-mongers. But as Deepika once said, ‘I want you to know that we’re all in this together and that there is hope’.
Lastly, yes Bollywood is extremely problematic with terrible working conditions, sexism, inequality and discrimation but what we’re fighting against is a system, not a person. Let’s try not being blinded by hate or blurred by the noise being made by people with vested interests.