I don’t drink or smoke…see?” grins Deepika, flashing her untainted pearly whites at me. We are gorging on generous helpings of hot-n-sour crab soup and fried rice with chicken at one of her favourite haunts, Royal China.
Dining out and watching films feature high on her list of social outings, but bar-hopping and wild nights out hold no appeal for this somewhat reticent homebody. “I basically enjoy relaxing in my house and playing board games with my gang of 15-20 friends…they come over to my place every few days and we have a fabulous time.”

Her place literally means ‘her’ place – a home in Bandra, bought with her earnings recently, at the age of 21. She shrugs when I wonder at this fact. “I bought myself a car when I was 19,” she says, quietly alluding to her very independent lifestyle.
Moving away from the comfort of her parents’ nest in Bangalore at such an early age could not have been easy. But, other than a frequent craving “for something as simple as dal chawal or South Indian food”, this cool-headed youngster has had a smooth transition to Mumbai life. “My mother was the one who was dependent on me rather than the other way around. Even now, when I visit, there is a list prepared of the things I need to get done with her!”

Besides which, there is a constant support system available if needed. “My mom is originally from Mumbai, so I have many close relatives around…her father and sister live here, as also my dad’s sister.”
Deepika’s calm and unruffled demeanour has crowned her the ultimate professional, especially in an industry laden with starry tantrums, tardy walk-ins and an unwillingness to veer from a fixed style. The Deepika I know has always been quick, quiet and seamlessly in sync with any look she projects. From the time Verve showcased her as Wendell Rodricks’ fashion muse to our December 2006 cover where she came sensually alive in a gold Shahab Durazi gown, to this October cover, where her beatific visage exudes a Mona Lisa-like feel…besides a growing sense of comfort which makes her more talkative, nothing else has changed.

“Please use this picture on the cover!” she squeals excitedly, on seeing some of the shortlisted images. And that’s the extent of her divaesque demands.
This rising star has always set her sights firmly on attaining fame, right from her modelling days as a child to the present, a few weeks before her much-touted blockbuster, Om Shanti Om, hits the marquee. “There was a phase when I wanted to be a Miss India. But then I set myself a different challenge, that of becoming a supermodel and touring the International Fashion Weeks’ circuit. The music videos that I did were an aberration; a shift from my plan to do something unique. But they brought me closer to the masses and helped get me to where I am today, so I’m not complaining!”

Maybe this need to make an individual mark stemmed from always being the centre of attention? After all, father Prakash Padukone’s fame as a top-notch badminton player would have filtered down to her. “Possibly”, she muses. “Though my life at home was normal, I would always stand out for my being who I was at school.”
A move to sports would have been natural for this one-time track athlete and kick-boxing student. “I did spend my childhood years playing badminton with my dad and grandfather and then moved on to basketball and state level baseball. But none of them were my cup of tea, really.”

The sports bug seems to have bitten the younger sibling though, “My sister is working towards becoming a professional golf player.”
Dance has been another defining influence for Deepika. Jazz, Bharat Natyam (“in my modelling days, this dance training gave me grace and poise; today, it helps to keep me fit”), Kathak; the lissome lass firmly believes in the positive impact of extra-curricular activities. “I think it’s very important for all kids to learn some form of sport, dance and music.”
It’s held her in good stead; we should all look forward to some deft histrionics in her debut film, where her role has been moulded along the lines of yesteryear’s dancing queen, Hema Malini.

This is only the beginning. A Yash Raj film could become a reality come January with Ranbir Kapoor (she clarifies that the alleged liaison with the Kapoor scion was more fiction than fact) as her romantic lead. In the meanwhile, we hear that some serious martial art training in Jujitsu is underway for a Nikhil Advani film with Akshay Kumar that hits the floors in February. From dance, to romance, to fast-paced action, Deepika seems to be packing it all in with her varied choice of roles.
“But where’s my ‘me’ time?” she laments. “The last vacation I recall with my parents was a 15-day road trip through France in 2002 - Paris, Cannes, Nice, Monaco. I would love to return to the French riviera for my honeymoon…maybe I could also sneak in a visit to Disneyland, Paris!” she exclaims, finally allowing me through her sedate barrier to glimpse the delightful youngster that she is.
A youngster who is trying to complete an Arts degree through correspondence and juggling a hectic career without a reprieve in sight. “My dad is constantly urging me to try and take mini-breaks; go to the spa to unwind. Whenever possible, I head off to a friend’s farmhouse a few hours away for my usual weekend retreat – away from the noise, for some peace and quiet.”

“A river rafting trip in North India” is high on the travel wish list, but until some elusive free time comes up, she contents herself with snatched moments of fun on work tours. Like the Louis Vuitton event and shoot she did exclusively for Verve in Spain and France, “such a well-organised do. I had a great time.”
“I still remember our after-shoot dinner at the restaurant on the Eiffel Tower – a beautifully decorated French meal and a spectacular view, including that of the glittering monument itself...the entire trip was more a second Parisian holiday rather than work. I could return to the city any number of times and still be awed by the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe.”
We veer to shopping plans for her upcoming New York schedule; I try to convince her that $250 Juicy Couture jeans and $350 BCBG Max Azria dresses are ‘value’ buys and she shudders at this careless waste. But then, the essence of je ne sais quoi she adds to a simply put-together ensemble of white T-shirt, denims and plain hoops makes designer threads unnecessary.

Not that she doesn’t have her ABC’s of Indian fashion down pat. “I love the work of Malini Ramani, Shantanu-Nikhil and Gauri-Nainika – lovely girly, feminine clothes. Sabyasachi does brilliant Indian wear.”
“Sush (Sushmita Sen) is the style icon I look up to,” she continues. And the hottest stars around town? “Priyanka, Aishwarya and Bipasha.”
We think she fits into their bracket easily; how she manages it is a mystery though, with her refreshingly normal eating habits. “I love Thai food and dark chocolates are always stocked in my fridge. Oh, and I hate workouts!” she laughingly admits. Her fitness regime, if one could call it that, is an erratic mix of “dance, swimming, bowling etc.”
With Lady Luck smiling down on her, it’s no wonder that Deepika is unafraid to face the future without a game plan in place. “I have no idea where life is going to take me and I am ok with that. I didn’t even know Bollywood was coming my way, and look, it’s almost like a huge Tsunami came over me!” she marvels, referring to her dream debut.
As for the men in her life, there is just the one. “I cannot think beyond SRK at the moment!” But her future beau will have a lot of expectations riding on him. “I imagine my knight in shining armour galloping across the Champs Elysees to sweep me off my feet!”