Deepika on starring in SRK's 'Jawan': Whenever he wants, I will always be there
Mumbai (PTI): Actor Deepika Padukone on Friday said she never thought about the length of her role in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Jawan" as she has a lot of love for the actor and would always be there for him.
Deepika, who made her debut opposite Shah Rukh in "Om Shanti Om" in 2007 and has collaborated on films like "Chennai Express", "Happy New Year" and "Pathaan", had an extended cameo as Aishwarya Rathore in the Atlee directorial, which has become a blockbuster at the ticket window, raising close to Rs 700 crore in worldwide gross.
At the film's success press conference, Shah Rukh joked that he and Atlee "fooled" Deepika into believing that she had a cameo in the film when she was one of the main characters.
"Deepika is feeling the most awkward, I will tell you why, because she feels, "main to dosti me chhota so role karne aa gayi thi', but between me and Atlee, we fooled her and shot a full length movie with her.
"When she saw the film she was like, 'Oh I am one of the main characters'.... but thank you Deepika from the bottom of our heart for being part of this film," he said, calling the actor "a family".
Deepika said the team of "Jawan" approached her with the part when she was shooting for Nag Ashwin's "Project K", now titled "Kalki 2898 AD", in Hyderabad.
"They narrated the whole story to me and told me this very important part of Aishwarya and for me, it was not about the length of the role. It was the impact that this character is going to have on the entire film. So it was two-fold for me, one is everyone knows my love for him (SRK). Whenever he wants, I will always be there.
"But also, the movie was so special that as any actor, not just me, if offered the part, they would say yes to it because it was about the vision. I think all of us, everyone here has invested in that vision. It's not about how big or small your role was. It was about the story we were telling, the impact that this movie was going to have on the lives of this amazing audience."
"Jawan" features Shah Rukh in the role of Vikram Rathore and his son Azad. The movie highlights various social and political issues through the story.
Deepika's Aishwarya is the wife of Vikram Rathore and mother of Azad. Her scenes are played out in the flashback.
Shah Rukh said he thought about Deepika playing a mother while they were shooting "Besharam rang" track for "Pathaan".
"... I am sitting, and I look at Pooja (Dadlani, his manager) and I said, 'ye maa ka role karegi kya?' so I am looking at Deepika during the 'Besharam rang' and thinking 'She will be very good as a mother, no,'."
SRK said when Pooja asked Deepika, she instantly agreed.
"For her to have done this role, also as an actor, is very gutsy. I always say 'there are no small roles, there are only small actors'. I think with this film, Deepika proves to everybody that she really is a large size actor, big size actor. Thank you Deepika," he added.
Asked whether there were any apprehensions about playing an onscreen mother, Deepika said there were none.
"I don't think that I am playing sultry in one movie, and a mother in the next. I personally didn't approach it like that. I invested in the vision, in the story, if that meant I play the role of a mother, to enable the storytelling, so be it," she said.
Shah Rukh and Deepika were joined by the film's director Atlee as well as co-star Vijay Sethupathi at the event.
Actor Nayanthara, who played Narmada in the movie, was absent due to her mother's birthday and SRK led the crowd to sing happy birthday for them.
The team later played a video message that she sent to express her gratitude for all the love coming her way.
"Namaste Mumbai, it is an absolute honour to be addressing all of you. Even though I'm not there in person, I want to send a big hug to my friends and fans. I wanted to be there but today there is a special occasion for my family and I wanted to spend this time with them.
"I have been reading all of your messages and I have to say it is absolutely overwhelming. Your support means the world to me and I am extremely grateful for it. And of course, a big thank you to my co-star and the entire team for giving me the opportunity to play Narmada," the actor said.
Working on "Jawan" was a journey "filled with laughter, challenges and growth", she added.
"Speaking of growth, I want to thank Shah Rukh sir. To share the screen with him and witness his exceptional talent and lively energy in person was truly fabulous," she added.
The film also stars Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani, Girija Oak, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Lehar Khan, Aaliyah Qureshi, Ridhi Dogra, Sunil Grover and Mukesh Chhabra as well as Sanjay Dutt in a cameo appearance.
A Red Chillies Entertainment presentation, "Jawan" is produced by Gauri Khan and co-produced by Gaurav Verma.
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Delhi LG 'praises' CM Atishi, calls her 'thousand times better than her predecessor' Kejriwal
New Delhi, Nov 22: In a left-handed compliment to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Friday said she is "a thousand times better" than her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal.
At the seventh convocation ceremony of the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women here, Saxena said, "I am happy today that Delhi's CM is a woman, and I can confidently say that she is a thousand times better than her predecessor."
While making the comment, he took a glance at Atishi who also addressed the students.
The AAP and BJP have been at loggerheads over a range of issues, including governance and control of bureaucracy. Kejriwal tendered his resignation in September and said he would seek a "certificate of honesty" from the public in light of the corruption charges he faced. Atishi succeeded him as the chief minister.
Last year, Saxena ignored the AAP government's request to allow Atishi, who was then the education minister to hoist the national flag at the state-level Independence Day event.
A row brewed over the issue with the Aam Aadmi Party lashing out at Saxena after the General Administration Department refused to implement Minister Gopal Rai's direction to let Atishi hoist the tricolour in place of former then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who was in the jail in the excise policy scam.
In his speech, Saxena told the students, "As you move ahead, you have four guiding stars. First is your responsibility towards yourself, the second is your responsibility towards your parents and family while the third responsibility is towards the society and nation-building."
"The fourth responsibility is to prove yourself as women who have broken the glass ceiling of gender and stand on par with others in all fields," he said.
Kejriwal had proposed Atishi's name as the chief minister at a meeting of the legislature party and it was unanimously accepted.
When she took charge of the office, Atishi kept an empty chair besides hers for Kejriwal.
Addressing at the event, Atishi reflected on the progress made in the education sector under the AAP government.
"Education is the key to development. Take the example of the US, Canada, or the UK. They provided free education and schooling, and that is why they are developed countries today."
"Ten years ago, when we formed the government here, we saw the same dream. Since then, we have been spending 25 percent of our education budget on improving the sector," she said.
