The model turned actress and starry eyed newcomer definitely took the tinsel town by bang with her charming freshness and tremendous acting ability. Born in Copenhagen on 5th January 1986 to Ujjvala and Prakash Padukone, Deepika Padukone was primarily brought up in Bangalore where her family shifted its base. Her father Prakash Padukone was a renowned badminton player known internationally.

Deepika who did her schooling in Bangalore was also a badminton player. Despite not being too keen to take up the sport as a career. While doing her graduation, she decided that modelling was her cup of tea. She endorsed a number of products ranging from soap to jewellery. Her height, together with her athletic posture put her in good stead in the modelling circuit. She won the Model of the Year in 2006 at a reputed fashion award show. Kingfisher also made her the brand ambassador for its airline.

In 2006 the Konkani girl made her debut in a Kannada film 'Aishwarya'. Her Bollywood breakthrough was made the following year by her film Om Shanti Om. Her acting in the hugely successful commercial by Farah Khan in which Deepika Padukone starred opposite to Shahrukh Khan not only brought her into prominence amongst the public but also was applauded by the critics. It established her fame overnight. Some of Deepika's successful films include Housefull and Bachhna Ae Haseeno. Most of her films are commercially successful.

Deepika who has all the requirements for making it big won a couple of awards for her debut performance. Her relationships and subsequent break ups with Ranbir Kapoor and Siddharth Mallya and above all her independent ways have kept her constantly in the focus of the media.