<p>The Narcotics Control Board has summoned actor Deepika Padukone for questioning in Mumbai on Friday.</p>.<p>Born and raised in Bengaluru, she debuted with the Kannada film ‘Aishwarya’ in 2006. Upendra played the lead opposite Deepika, and the film also had stalwarts like Doddanna and Ramesh Bhat in prominent roles. The box office hit was directed by Indrajit Lankesh.</p>.<p>Upendra recalls the days he shot with Deepika, and says she came across as one who respected her craft.</p>.<p>“I am proud that she started her career in a Kannada film and has reached great heights. I hope she gets out of this mess soon,” he told Metrolife.</p>.<p>Upendra believes her exponential growth can be attributed to the sincerity with which she approaches her work. “We have never met after ‘Aishwarya’, but I’ve watched all her movies and I am a big fan,” he says.</p>.<p>Upendra says she is gifted, and her dance movements and facial expressions in her debut film showed she was a ‘natural artist.’ The director-hero is miffed that the scam is being collectively attributed to the film industry. “There are actors who go to the sets, do their work, and leave when the director says ‘pack up’. It is wrong to drag an entire industry into this,” he says.</p>.<p>He says the investigation, in Mumbai and Bengaluru, is an eye-opener. “This is both a warning and a message to youngsters. We hope they understand the evils of drug consumption,” he says.</p>.<p>The drug angle surfaced during the investigation of the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, found hanging in his Bandra (Mumbai) apartment on June 14.</p>.<p>Various dimensions of the case are now being probed by the Narcotics Control Board, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.</p>
<p>The Narcotics Control Board has summoned actor Deepika Padukone for questioning in Mumbai on Friday.</p>.<p>Born and raised in Bengaluru, she debuted with the Kannada film ‘Aishwarya’ in 2006. Upendra played the lead opposite Deepika, and the film also had stalwarts like Doddanna and Ramesh Bhat in prominent roles. The box office hit was directed by Indrajit Lankesh.</p>.<p>Upendra recalls the days he shot with Deepika, and says she came across as one who respected her craft.</p>.<p>“I am proud that she started her career in a Kannada film and has reached great heights. I hope she gets out of this mess soon,” he told Metrolife.</p>.<p>Upendra believes her exponential growth can be attributed to the sincerity with which she approaches her work. “We have never met after ‘Aishwarya’, but I’ve watched all her movies and I am a big fan,” he says.</p>.<p>Upendra says she is gifted, and her dance movements and facial expressions in her debut film showed she was a ‘natural artist.’ The director-hero is miffed that the scam is being collectively attributed to the film industry. “There are actors who go to the sets, do their work, and leave when the director says ‘pack up’. It is wrong to drag an entire industry into this,” he says.</p>.<p>He says the investigation, in Mumbai and Bengaluru, is an eye-opener. “This is both a warning and a message to youngsters. We hope they understand the evils of drug consumption,” he says.</p>.<p>The drug angle surfaced during the investigation of the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, found hanging in his Bandra (Mumbai) apartment on June 14.</p>.<p>Various dimensions of the case are now being probed by the Narcotics Control Board, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.</p>