Deepika Padukone

Rakesh Roshan has dropped Deepika Padukone

Rakesh Roshan has turned down OSO girl Deepika Padukone. The film,
starring Hrithik Roshan could have been Deepika’s ticket to the A-list
in Bollywood.

Our sources, however, say that Deepika was not suitable for the role
so she was shown the door. When contacted Rakesh Roshan confirms that
they are not going ahead with Deepika. He says, “I am in the process of
working on a film which will be directed by Anurag Basu. We may work
with Deepika for some other film.”Anurag Basu, who is directing the film
endorses, “We are yet scouting for the female lead.” As for Deepika, he
says, “Deepika didn’t fit the role. We’ll definitely work with her in
future for some other project. It’s quite a complex character and we are
looking out for a female lead.”

After they dumped Deepika, Roshans are now looking at casting a
non-Indian for the role. Says a source, “Filmkraft (Roshan’s production
house) and Anurag have been auditioning girls. The female lead needs to
be a Salsa dancer.”

The film is a romantic-action-thriller which will be shot abroad. It
is scheduled to go on the floors by March 2008. Apparently, the film is
based on Latin dance forms and Hrithik will be seen performing a lot of
salsa.

Deepika Padukone has reportedly moved back with former
boyfriend Nihar

Things
have ended between Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor. It has already
been said that the newly-flourished love between the two upcoming actors
has died out completely.

The story has moved forward now. Or backward, actually. To rewind a
bit, when love blossomed between Deepika and Ranbir, she had promptly
moved out of then boyfriend Nihar Pandya’s house with whom she had been
living for the past two years.

Now, we hear that after her break-up, she has promptly moved back
with Nihar again.

Says our source, “Things were just not working out for Deepika and
Ranbir and they decided to call it quits. Now she has moved back with
her ex-boyfriend, Nihar Pandya with who she had been staying ever since
she shifted to Mumbai from Bangalore. Incidentally, she has also
recently bought herself a house in Bandra.”

The source adds, “The Om Shanti Om production team needed to send
across some documents and dialogue sheets to Deepika’s place for her to
read. When the production member asked for her address, Deepika said,
‘Send it on my old address’. When the production member asked whether
she meant her earlier address, Deepika made things very clear by saying,
‘Yes, my old address. I have moved back with Nihar.’”

When contacted, Deepika refused to answer our question. She simply
said, “Nihar and I are good friends and we continue to be so. But I am
single, and the only love of my life right now is Om Shanti Om and my
new house. I am very happy doing it up.”

Deepika and Ranbir Kapoor : Love gone sour?

There’s
trouble in lovers paradise. Sometime ago, it happened to tinsel ville’s
hottest couple, Bipasha Basu and John Abraham, then Lara Dutta and Kelly
Dorji suffered the 8-year itch, and now it’s the newest jodi in Bolly-town
who is facing rough weather. It’s Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor.
We’ve heard that the duo had their first lovers’ tiff; they didn’t even
talk to each other for a few days. In fact, our sources claim Deepika
and Ranbir almost called it quits, till better sense prevailed. All
thanks to a few common friends, the couple is back together, allegedly
much in love all over again. With two firebrands, it ain’t all that
easy, you see.

Has Deepika replaced Priyanka in Akshay’s life?

Ever
since news of Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone (the gal who’s caused a
flutter without flapping her wings) being paired for Rohan Sippy’s film
hit the headlines, filmi folks haven’t stopped talking about the casting
coup. Must admit, it’s quite a fashionably fresh pair - with Akshay’s
brawny, rugged, macho looks, and Deepika’s svelte, sexy, stunning appeal
- we think this jodi will be the pick of the season. After Shilpa Shetty,
we thought Priyanka Chopra looked next best with Akshay, but well,
Deepika’s already slipped into her shoes. What say, Priyanka, koi
aitraaz?

Deepika Padukone talks about Bollywood, boys and bikinis…

She
walks across the room with a confident yet measured stride,
head held up high, eyes ablaze with determination. But
interestingly, there is something about Deepika Padukone
that tells us that somewhere within that seemingly reserved
exterior there lives a simple and shy 21-year-old girl who
can’t wait to conquer the big bad world of Bollywood.

Well, the hype surrounding her is already there and why
not! For November 2007 will see Deepika make her debut
opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om (OSO).
Hype or no hype, Deepika is nonplussed. “Hype is great.
Although I have never gone out of my way to generate it,”
smiles Deepika with an intelligent viewpoint on all the buzz
she has garnered. “For me, hype only means double the
hardwork and it pushes me to work with even more intensity.
But that apart, there is bound to be hype because of the
type of film OSO is. It’s the best kind of debut I could
have ever asked for. It has everything - great music,
romance and to top it all SRK!”

Although tight-lipped about the other films being offered
to her, Deepika does admit to going through at least three
scripts a week. “But I have signed on no other film. I can’t
think beyond OSO. You could say that I’m having an affair
with it,” she says, the twinkle in her eyes brighter than
ever.

And what about a certain affair of the Ranbir Kapoor
kind? “I won’t deny that Ranbir is a part of my life,”
Deepika pauses, only to add, “…but as a friend and nothing
else. We have been spending a lot of time together and I
guess that when you go out with a group of friends, with
only two of us being known faces, speculation is bound to be
there. And I am prepared for it. It is a part and parcel of
an actor’s life.”

Rubbishing rumours of a roadside fight between Ranbir and
ex-boyfriend Nihar Pandya, Deepika gets upset with the very
mention of the alleged brawl. “Nihar and I are not seeing
each other anymore, so there is no question him fighting
over me,” says an exasperated Deepika. “Both Ranbir and
Nihar come from good families and the two of them don’t need
to get into a fight - publicly or privately. They are mature
and intelligent enough not to fight over me.”

Still friends with Nihar, Deepika is also hurt about
reports that she “used his family to set up base in Mumbai”.
“That was the limit! Nihar’s family isn’t like my family.
They are my family and I am their daughter - irrespective if
I’m seeing him or not,” she says with that same
determination that seems to be becoming her trademark.

“Yes, I am a very determined person who puts her career
first - above all things,” she says pointedly. “Love and
friendship, all can wait. I have lost a lot of friends
because of this determination. Today my priorities are my
career and my family and I will do anything to nurture the
two of them!”

Not averse to showing skin, or even wearing a bikini on
screen, Deepika seems a virtual breath of fresh air when
compared to the likes of the “ask mummy!” brigade. “I don’t
mind wearing a bikini because I know that I can carry one
off. I’m very sure of what I can do and what I can’t. As
long as I’m enjoying it, it’s fine,” she says without
batting an eyelid.

With her pretty head firmly screwed onto her shoulders,
Deepika says that she is prepared for both, the bouquets and
brickbats that may come her way. “I have a very long way to
go in terms of my acting abilities. To me failure and
success are two sides of the same coin and accepting them
both equally is what I truly believe shapes me as the person
that I am. So all I can say is bring it on!”

Deepika Padukone is set to play the lead in Krrish’s
sequel opposite Hrithik Roshan

Going
by the plum projects that Deepika Padukone is bagging, it looks like she
is swiftly on her way to being the next It girl in Bollywood, even
before her first sighting on screen. After her debut film Om Shanti Om
opposite Shah Rukh Khan and Siddharth Anand’s next for Yash Raj Films,
Deepika is next in line to be featured opposite Hrithik Roshan after
Preity Zinta and Priyanka Chopra in Krrish’s sequel.

Speculations were rife whether Priyanka Chopra would once be again
considered for the sequel to Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish. But if sources are
to be believed, Deepika has bagged the much sought-after role opposite
Hrithik.

Given the fact that both the earlier films have been Aleague projects
this project is sure to further help Deepika firmly entrench herself in
the industry.

What’s surprising about the newcomer bagging this project is that
Preity and Priyanka, were selected for Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish
respectively after they had proved their mettle over the years.
Deepika’s news comes as a surprise as she doesn’t have a single film
release to her credit so far.

A source says, “It is confirmed that Deepika Padukone has been
finalised for Krrish’s sequel opposite Hrithik. Though the Roshans are
still working on their script, it’s decided that the film will be shot
extensively in foreign locations.”

Deepika refused to comment and says, “I haven’t received confirmation
from the Roshans yet.”

The critics were not too lenient with their reviews on Priyanka’s
performance in Krrish in which her acting and clothes were criticized,
while Preity couldn’t be accommodated in the script. So, the Roshans
decided to go for a fresh face to dazzle opposite Hrithik this time.

Deepika Padukone unswayed by films and stardom

She’s
just been awarded the model of the year and has even been signed on as
the international ambassador for a hotshot cosmetic brand and
incidentally, is the first ever Indian to do so! Deepika Padukone, back
in town for a month to give her exams, is quite excited. “I’ve got
plenty on my platter and I’m looking forward to my debut film Aishwarya.”

So how was it working with superstar Upendra?

“It was nice, he would guide me whenever I needed help and never once
made me feel like a newcomer. But once work was through, I would go back
to my room because I don’t believe in wasting time hanging around the
sets making small talk. I would interact with everybody but only when
required, it’s best that way.”

She’s had her first brush with glitz. Her impressions? Did
she experience any ’strange’ incidents?

“No, that’s because I’ve always conducted myself with dignity. I think
it’s very important for a woman not to send the wrong signals.”

She also insists she will never be part of the bare all and
kiss’n'tell brigade

“I’m never going to do anything that makes me or my parents
uncomfortable. That includes wearing skimpy clothes and onscreen
kissing. Yeah, I did wear swimsuits for glam calendars but that’s
because it’s still photography and I know exactly where the camera is
placed and the angle that’s shot, which is not the case in films.”

Meanwhile there’s a huge buzz about her being offered
Bollywood films by the dozen

“Yes I’m being flooded with offers from big banners. But I won’t rush
into anything.”

There are also rumours about how Wendell Rodricks, and more
importantly, Shah Rukh Khan have been promoting her. True?

“Wendell is my favourite designer and a very dear friend. I relate to
him because both of us share a similar sense of style. I’ve heard Shah
Rukh too has seen some of my pictures and campaigns and liked my face.
So if both of them are recommending me to people they must see something
in me!”

And once she makes it big, she plans to experiment

“I’m going to start with commercial films and then am game for anything
be it crossover, art, de-glam, Hinglish….”

Her ideal roles?

“Madhubala in Mughal-e-Azam, I loved her in it.”

When she’s not working, it’s definitely not play time

“I’m happy chilling at home with friends.” But what about the hotshot
model she’s supposedly seeing in Mumbai? “Oh my God, I’m not seeing any
model. Besides that, I’m not going to say anything about my personal
life.”