In Pics: Lesser known facts about Deepika Padukone

On Deepika Padukone's 36th birthday, here are 10 lesser-known facts about the queen of Bollywood.

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1986, Deepika moved to Bengaluru when she was 11 months old. The names of everyone in Deepika’s family have a ‘common’ meaning - the names ‘Prakash’, ‘Ujjala’, ‘Deepika’ and ‘Anisha’ all mean ‘light’. Credit: Instagram/ujjalapadukone

Deepika followed in the footsteps of her father, Prakash Padukone, and played badminton at the national level. Credit: Instagram/deepikapadukone

However, Deepika quit sports and entered showbiz as a model in the early 2000s. She soon excelled in her modelling career and had graced the ramp for all the top-notch Indian designers. Deepika also won the title of the Kingfisher Model of the year in the year 2005. Credit: Instagram/deepikapadukone

Deepika has also been in some famous TV commercials. Her first advert was with soap brand Liril, where she became an overnight sensation. Credit: Special Arrangement

While many think that Deepika Padukone made her showbiz debut with Farah Khan’s 'Om Shanti Om' (2007), it was Himesh Reshammiya who gave her break in his music video ‘Naam Hai Tera’ (2006). Credit: T-Series

Technically, her silver screen debut was with Kannada movie ‘Aishwarya’ (2006) opposite Upendra Rao. The movie had a dream run at the box-office and her acting was appreciated. Credit: Special Arrangement

Deepika Padukone is the first Indian model to work for Louis Vuitton. Credit: Instagram/deepikapadukone

Not many know that Deepika was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first choice in ‘Saawariya’ (2007) opposite Ranbir Kapoor. Due to some odd reasons the opportunity went to Sonam Kapoor. Credit: Instagram/deepikapadukone

Deepika Padukone is one of the few celebrities who has managed to achieve great things in very short span of time. She became the Asia’s ‘Most followed woman on Twitter’ in 2016. Credit: Instagram/deepikapadukone

While no one can be sure of the exact salaries of the celebrities, rumour has it that Deepika is the highest paid female actor in Bollywood. She gets Rs 35 crore as remuneration per film. Credit: AFP Photo