'I don't want media to play Cupid'

I was so engrossed in the game that I lost my voice at the end of it. Being an athlete myself I know what it’s like to be extremely competitive and win.” This is was what Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) brand ambassador Deepika Padukone told Metrolife soon after RCB won the match.

She believes that it’s only strategy and performance that took the team forward. Deepika was indeed in royal company throughout the match. Mallya junior, Sidhartha, made sure she felt at home. “I got introduced to Sidhartha only at the match. He’s young, vibrant and makes for a great leader. He’s doing tremendously well. I wouldn’t want to say anything more,” says Deepika.

Deepika who set foot into Bollywood with Om Shanti Om says she’s come a long way from the glamour girl that she was. In her Kannada debut ‘Aishwarya’, she played a modern day love-struck woman. Her roles have been varied and Deepika confesses that she enjoys being in front of the camera. The character of Meera in Love Aaj Kal won Deepika a lot of admirers. Meera spoke so little but conveyed a great deal. “I am a lot like Meera in real life and Saif is just as talkative as he is in the movie. I understand silence. Unlike Saif  I am the calm and composed one,” says Deepika.

 She loved her character in Karthik Calling Karthik, “Schizophrenia is a real problem among the young today. It can happen to anyone of us. A lot of young people can relate to the theme. It did extremely well,” Deepika gushes.

Deepika says that as an actress and a woman she would like to experiment with every conceivable role. “Women today are independent and have their values in place. I respect the institution of marriage and believe in love and relationship,” she says.

She plays an ultra glamourous role and then slips into a simple role, how does she manage that? “It’s not as easy as it looks. It calls for a lot of hard work, dedication and loads of sacrifice,” she says.

Her break up with Ranbir was splashed across the papers. How does she take to pair offs and media intrusion? “It doesn’t bother me anymore. I am open about my relationships. And will continue to the lead the kind of life I want to. I may have close friends in the film industry who I choose to hang out with but that doesn’t mean that I am going around with that person. Besides, I don’t want the media to play Cupid here,” she warns.

Deepika will soon be seen in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Khelenge Hum Jee Jaan Se and Pradeep Sarkar’s untitled movie where she plays a romantic. “I love action films and would like to act in a movie which has comedy, romance and action— all wrapped in one,” Deepika sums up.