Deepika is a Proud Kannadiga, Says Prakash Padukone

Deepika Padukone might have become one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema but she has not forgotten her roots. Her father echoed the same and has said that his daughter is a proud Kannadiga.

Speaking to Kannada daily Vijayavani, Prakash Padukone, former badminton champion and the father of Deepika, said, "I was born and brought up in Bangalore. I was just away from Karnataka between 1980 and 86 for professional reasons. Like me, Deepika too was raised here and I proudly say that we are Kannadigas. And my daughter too is proud of it. But professional commitments have kept her busy in Mumbai."

Prakash adds, "Deepika was born in Denmark and we moved to Bangalore when she was one-year old. She did her schooling in Bangalore. And later moved to Mumbai to pursue her dreams to make it big in modelling. Later, she got opportunities in films and she utilised the opportunities to the best of her abilities."

Talking about his daughter's character, Prakash said that the actress is simple when she is at home and does not display any character of a star.

On asking whether he wished to see her opting a career in badminton like him, Deepika's father claimed, "As parents, we decided that our daughters would choose their careers and we would not impose our ambitions on them. While Deepika was happy to be in the entertainment industry, my younger daughter Anisha wants to be a golfer. We just encouraged them to follow their dreams."

Deepika started her acting career with the 2007 Kannada film "Aishwarya" starring Upendra, directed by Indrajith Lankesh. She made her Bollywood debut as a heroine in Farah Khan-Shah Rukh Khan's "Om Shanti Om". Since then, her career has seen a steady rise. Meanwhile, her latest movie "Happy New Year" starring SRK has become one of the biggest hits of 2014.