Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone (born January 5, 1986) is an Indian film actress. She is cited in the media as one of the nation's most popular and attractive personalities and is among the highest-paid actresses in the world. Padukone has built a career in Hindi cinema and has received several awards, including three Filmfare Awards. The daughter of badminton player Prakash Padukone, she was born in Copenhagen and raised in Bangalore. As a teenager, she competed in national-level badminton championships before shifting her focus to modeling. She received film offers soon after and made her acting debut in 2006 as the title character in the Kannada film *Aishwarya*. Padukone's first Bollywood release was the 2007 blockbuster *Om Shanti Om*, in which she played a dual role and won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. The 2012 box office hit *Cocktail* marked a turning point in her career, earning her praise and Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies. She gained wider recognition through starring roles in the comedies *Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani* (2013), *Chennai Express* (2013), and *Happy New Year* (2014), and the historical romance *Bajirao Mastani* (2015), all of which are among the highest-grossing Bollywood films. Padukone's performance as a character inspired by Juliet in the tragic romance *Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela* (2013) and as a headstrong architect in the comedy-drama *Piku* (2015) earned her two Best Actress awards at Filmfare. In addition to acting, she participates in stage shows, writes columns for an Indian newspaper, endorses brands and products, and advocates for issues such as feminism and depression. She has designed a line of women's clothing and founded The Live Love Laugh Foundation, which aims to raise awareness about mental health in India.