Deepika Padukone is always in the news — besides her career, there’s much ‘are-they-aren’t-they’ about her relationship with Mallya scion, Sidhartha and of course, the risqué and caustic comments she made about her ex-boyfriend Ranbir on a show recently. She wants to talk about her new films: Danish Aslam’s Break Ke Baad and

Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se. But she’ll clear the air on her personal life first, “I don’t know why such a hue and cry is being made over my comments or my personal life. I will not talk about Sidhartha. When I was in a relationship earlier, too much was written and said about my personal life. I have now chosen not to speak about it. Let people speculate as much as they want.”
She accompanied Sidhartha to the hospital when he had an eye infection. Deepika laughs, “I had a problem with my eye and not Sidhartha. Why is everyone speculating?”
With two releases back-to-back, it’s a double bill at the B.O. for Ms Padukone but there’s no overlap she says, “They are of different genres, the looks are different. In Khelein..., I play a real life character which is more of a responsibility. Ashutosh had done so much research that I just had to study it. Break Ke Baad deals with break-ups and space in relationships. Aliya, my character, wants to achieve a lot, she is ambitious. She doesn’t believe in love and relationships and is commitment phobic.”
There’s no denying the fact that she identified with her character Aliya, but Deepika knows heart and head must co-exist, “It is nice when one is in a relationship but my career is my first love and my identity. Still, when I am committed, I give 100 per cent. I can balance my personal and professional lives without compromising either.”
And when it’s over, she’s displayed great maturity. The ‘moving on’ happened but Ranbir and she remain friends. She nods, “It’s awkward only if you allow it. If you value the relationship and keep it positive, you can stay friends. It may take six months or years but you can manage. You have to move on.”
So did her real-life break-up skills help in Break ke Baad? Deepika sounds like a veteran, “It’s not easy. Everyone goes through their share of heartbreak. You have to identify your own strengths and weaknesses. Only you can work through it. It’s difficult but it’s possible. There are different ways to handle it and come out a better person. I immersed myself in work.”
Much is being made of her liplocks with Imran Khan in Break ke Baad. She tut-tuts at the childish insinuations, “As far as the kissing scenes are concerned, I am comfortable doing them. The film talks about love and relationships. Are you telling me that people in relationships just hold hands? For me, it is like doing any other scene. If the scene demands it, I don’t mind.”
And she puts paid to rumours that all is not well with her and co-actress Sonam Kapoor, “Sonam and I never had any problems with each other. It’s just that we don’t get time to meet. I am not best friends with anyone here but we are all very mature and there’s no need to be negative. My friends have been with me right from my nursery days. I have a lot of friends in the industry — Neil, Imran, Akshay, Shahana Goswami, Shah Rukh and Farah. They have been very protective of me.”
But was there a hint of the snide talking about Ranbir and Katrina on the Karan Johar show? “That was said in good humour,” she clarifies. “It was not meant to target anyone. At the end of the day it’s about being humorous.”
Seven films down, she’s learnt some, “I’ve had a few hits and a few misses. I am working hard and while it’s important that the film does well, I don’t get carried away or let success or failure affect me.”
Her whole career lies ahead of her and she rattles off a wishlist of her favourite heroes, “Salman, Aamir, Hrithik and Ranbir…” Ranbir? She shrugs, “We are more than happy to work with each other. We have been getting a lot of offers but we have not found the right script.”
She smiles her zillion wattage smile and concludes with a roll-call of the legendary divas, perhaps waiting to take her place among them, “I admire Madhuri, Hema, Sridevi and Rekha. I’ve never idolised anyone because I have a mind of my own. I would prefer to have my own individuality and own career graph.”