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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Siddaramaiah tells Centre not to punish Karnataka for being progressive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday underlined the need for justice in the devolution of taxes.
He said no one should milk a milch cow completely, or else the calf would be malnourished.
Addressing people on the occasion of the 69th state formation day at Sree Kanteerava Stadium here, Siddaramaiah said there is injustice happening to Karnataka.
The state is contributing more than Rs four lakh crore as revenue to the Centre and it is the second largest contributor to the Central tax revenue after Maharashtra, he pointed out.
"Even though we give more than Rs four lakh crore, we are only getting Rs 55,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore. Kannadigas should know this. We are getting 14 to 15 per cent only of our contribution," the chief minister said.
Under the federal system, there should not be any injustice just because Karnataka is a progressive state, he observed.
"Just because a milch cow is giving milk, we should not milk it completely. We should leave some milk for the calf too or else it will malnourish. This no one should ever forget," Siddaramaiah said.
The chief minister emphasised taking pride in Kannada and bringing it in daily use as much as possible.
Stating that Karnataka has people speaking more than 200 languages, Siddaramaiah said, whatever language people speak here or whichever caste or religion they belong to, they all are Kannadigas. Those who consume the air, water and food are Kannadigas, he told the gathering.
He said Kannada is a very old language with a history of 7,000 years. Hence, the Centre too recognised it as a classical language.
Siddaramaiah appealed to the people that they should never sacrifice Kannada language.
"I don't oppose being liberal. I in fact endorse being liberal but not at the cost of sacrificing our language," the chief minister noted.
"Our affection for our language should not be extreme, but we should never give up our pride for our language. We all should be Kannada lover," he added.
For Kannada to grow, people living here must become Kannadigas, Siddaramaiah said.
"I will never say not to learn any other language. Keep enhancing your linguistic wealth but never forget speaking in Kannada," he told people.
He reminded people that November 1 is not only the state formation day but also the anniversary of Mysore state getting the name of Karnataka by the then chief minister, late D Devaraj Urs.
A cultural programme themed around 'Hesarayithu Karnataka, Usiragali Kannada' (the state got the name Karnataka, now Kannada should become the breath) was held on the occasion.
