Happy Birthday Deepika Padukone: Rare Pictures and Lesser Known Facts of Bollywood's Reigning Actress

Bollywood's leading actress Deepika Padukone turns 29 on 5 January. The actress has had a remarkable journey since her entry into the film industry. 

The "Happy New Year" actress, who spent her childhood in Bangalore made her debut in successful Kannada film "Aishwarya" in 2006. Though her father Prakash Padukone is a well known badminton player, she chose a different path and opted for a career in acting and modelling. Her first Bollywood film was the Farah Khan directorial "Om Shanti Om" opposite Shah Rukh Khan.

From getting a tattoo of ex-lover Ranbir Kapoor's initials on her nape to her cleavage controversy, Padukone has always been in news. The actress, who has given back-to-back hits will next be seen in "Piku" with Amitabh Bachchan and "Bajirao Mastani" with her alleged boyfriend Ranveer Singh.

Here are few lesser known facts about the diva of B-Town.

• Deepika Padukone is the one and only actress in the Indian film industry whose back-to-back hits collected a total of ₹500 crore in a single year (2013). "Race 2", "Cocktail", "Chennai Express", "Goliyon ki Raasleela – Ram-leela" and "Happy New Year" are the films that took her to the top.
• It was singer Himesh Reshammiya who gave the actress her first break on silver screen. Padukone appeared in his popular music video 'Naam Hai Tera', after which director Farah Khan roped her in for a movie. 
• "Om Shanti Om" was not supposed to be Padukone's first film. Farah had actually finalised her for "Happy New Year," but later the actress was signed for "Om Shanti Om" too.
• Padukone gained recognition early in her career with a television commercial for Liril soap. She also modelled for various other brands and products before becoming Kingfisher's calendar girl.The actress also appeared in a toothpaste and Limca ad. 
• The leggy lass is also a sportsperson like her father. She played Badminton on the national level and also played state level baseball.

Check out the above slideshow for unseen pictures of the birthday girl.