Deepika Padukone opens up on struggles in Bollywood career

Actor Deepika Padukone said her South Indian accent was “frowned upon” when starting her journey in Bollywood.

Deepika Padukone, the wife of fellow actor Ranveer Singh, made the statement in an interview with an India-based news agency. She said she was aware of the gender disparity in the Bollywood industry.

“I do see the obvious disparity between men and women in almost any aspect of life, but never in my journey have I felt the need to compare and I think it’s to do with the fact that my sister and I weren’t brought up like that,” she said as quoted in the report. “We weren’t constantly reminded of the fact that we were girls, and so we had to go into the world thinking differently and fighting for what we deserved but I did have to tackle other challenges.”

 

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She added: “Coming from a sports background meant I did not have a natural inroad into Bollywood. My South Indian accent was also frowned upon and I initially worried about being written off because of it.”

The Ram Leela actor said she will advocate any measure for the improvement of the Bollywood industry for the greater good.

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“If any praise for that change, no matter how big or small, comes my way, I will take it. It’s definitely a lot to digest, but at the same time, I won’t say it’s untrue because my purpose has always been that,” she said.

She said she became a keen observer when being considered an outsider in the industry.

“I probably didn’t have the confidence or the clout to be able to effect change, but the desire for it was always there. Even as a child, I was always curious about why things were done a certain way. I would never take anything lying down or be satisfied with things being handed to me on a platter,” the actor said.