Veronica helped me shed her inhibitions both as a woman and as an actor: Deepika Padukone talks about her 'complicated character' in 'Cocktail'

By Rashita Sahni

on October 14, 2019

The opening session of the Jio MAMI Movie Mela with Star, 2019 began with an engaging conversation between actress Deepika Padukone, the newly appointed Chairperson of MAMI, film critic Rajeev Masand and Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, MAMI. The focus of the chat was five of Deepika’s standout roles that the two leading critics loved and are career milestones in her twelve-year illustrious career.

When asked to count the number of films she has worked on a modest Deepika said, “I have never really worked towards keeping a count on the number of films I have done, but more about connecting with the work I have done. My acting process begins with the narration. While a great narration may not necessarily translate into a great movie, it helps me visualize the story and the character. It helps bring out the honesty of the script.”

Deepika Padukone opened up on her memorable roles, Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh and the secret of her and Ranveer’s lasting relationship and a whole lot more in a candid conversation with Rajeev Masand and Anupama Chopra. When asked about her film Cocktail, Deepika described her character of Veronica perfectly. This role was offered to Deepika at a time when she was going through a lean period personally. Speaking about why she chose to play the character of the dynamic and complicated Veronica, Deepika explained, “I reread the script to understand why Imtiaz (Ali) thought that while I was drawn to Meera, I was actually ready for Veronica.” She further added that it was Homi’s sensibility toward this complex character that empowered her to play it. “After a point, I was spontaneous in my takes; Homi had just stopped directing me. Veronica helped Deepika shed her inhibitions both as a woman and as an actor and explore a side of her that she did not know existed.”