How Deepika Padukone signed her first movie? Indrajith Lankesh spills bean on how he spotted the talent

Deepika Padukone is one of the big names of the Indian film industry today, but not many might be aware of the fact that her career was kick-started in Kannada film industry. Though she acted in only one film, the actress continues to be loved and respected by Kannadigas.

How she landed in her first movie?
Indrajith Lankesh is the filmmaker who introduced her to film industry. In an interview, the director has revisited the past to narrate an interesting story on how he roped in the Bengaluru-girl for his film Aishwarya which starred Upendra.

After locking in the story and screenplay, he was in a hunt for a good-looking heroine. "We were yet to finalise the female lead. I wanted to introduce a new face like I had done in my previous film Thuntata. My other film Monalisa also had relatively fresh actors like one-film old Dhyan and two-film old Sadha,"

Prakash Padukone Connection
He spotted Deepika Padukone at a fashion event after doing auditions with many aspiring talents. "I was invited to be the judge of a fashion event and I noticed Deepika Padukone there, but I did not know that she was the daughter of Prakash Padukone,"

The director had not thought of casting her till he realised that she was the daughter of Prakash Padukone. "The next day I found out about their connection on newspaper. Then, I approached her after getting the number from the publication. We met at a hotel and signed the deal,"

The filmmaker claims that he knew that she would make it big in film from the day he started working with her in Aishwarya. "Looking at her professionalism, focus and desire to achieve something in life indicated me that she would become a star someday,"

"I am proud of her growth. Today, she is India's number one actress. I am happy because she utilised the opportunity to the best of her abilities and there was no looking back for her from thereon," he ends.