The actor says that if she doesn’t feel butterflies in her stomach after hearing a narration, she doesn’t do the project
Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 4, 2019)

She got a dream launch in Bollywood in 2007 with Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om in which she had Shah Rukh Khan as her co-star. And from then on, Deepika Padukone has been making all the right noises with her film choices.

With films such as Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), Housefull (2010), Desi Boyz (2011), Race 2 (2013), Finding Fanny (2014), Piku (2015), Bajirao Mastani (2015), Padmaavat (2018), her filmography is clearly a mix of potboilers, slice-of-life films, and historical dramas. She has even starred in a Hollywood film xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017).

Has there been any change in the way she picks a film now? “No, not at all. I am choosing my projects the same way I did 10 years ago. I am following my gut and heart. I am only doing films which have the ability to push me beyond my comfort zone. When the narration finishes, I have to feel butterflies in my stomach otherwise I don’t take up the film. The film has to unsettle me,” shares Deepika.

But the actor clarifies that this does not mean that the films she does have to always be hard-hitting. Even a feel-good buddy drama can be intriguing enough for her to take it up.

“It does not have to be an extremely intense film. Even when I chose a film like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), I had the same level of excitement because I had never played a character like Naina before. I have to feel challenged. I have always listened to that voice in my head,” she says.

And Deepika is taking that forward with her next film, Chaapaak, which sees her play an acid attack survivor. The Meghna Gulzar-directed project is based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. With Chaapaak, Deepika is also making her debut as a producer.

“Again, my choices as a producer will be similar to my choices as an actor. They will be driven by my creative juices and not box office and commercial viability. I will tell stories that I feel an emotional connect with. I’ve always relied on that and will continue to do so,” she says.

So, as a producer would she only back issue-based films? “I rather let that unfold slowly than saying it. It is always nice if it unfolds in front of the audiences as and when it happens,” she replies.