Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, her accolades include three Filmfare Awards. She features in listings of the nation’s most popular personalities, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.
Padukone has said that her starring role in the 2012 Homi Adajania-directed romantic comedy Cocktail marked a significant turning point in her career.[67] Raja Sen of Rediff.com opined that she had successfully proved to be a “stunning girl who can also act.”[68] Set in London, Cocktail tells the story of a man’s relationship with two temperamentally different women—an impulsive party girl (Veronica, played by Padukone) and a submissive girl next door (Meera, played by Diana Penty). During the script narration, the producer Dinesh Vijan offered Padukone the choice of which woman to play; she decided on Veronica to expand her horizons as an actress.[69] Portraying the role was a creative and physical challenge for her, and to achieve the physical requirements of her character she exercised extensively and followed a rigorous diet.[70][71] Critics were divided in their opinion of the film, but particularly praised Padukone’s performance;[72] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare credited her as the “soul of the film” and wrote that she “excels in every scene, whether as a material girl who enjoys sex, drugs and rock and roll or as the jealousy has ridden girl out to destroy herself.”[73] Cocktail earned Padukone Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies, including Filmfare, Screen, and IIFA.[74] The film also proved to be a box office success.