This is where Deepika Padukone’s rise to superstardom started. It’s been six years since the release of Cocktail, a film that turned Deepika into a star Bollywood would go on to celebrate and appreciate. Cocktail was Diana penty’s launch vehicle and had Saif Ali Khan as the male lead.
On Friday, Homi shared a throwback picture with Deepika on Instagram. He wrote that it was taken on the sets of Cocktail. “Most fun shoot and one of my favourite characters ... #BRUCELEE ! Okaaay I’m talking about this girl in the pic,” he wrote.
Cocktail had Deepika playing a free spirited girl Veronica Malanay. Her character received praise from all quarters. Most of the critics believed that she was the backbone of the film. Though the film also had Saif Ali Khan and Diana Penty, but Deepika was believed to be the soul of Cocktail. It was also a box office success.
Talking about Deepika’s transition, Homi had earlier told HT, “Deepika came with a bunch of not-so-successful films behind her. So she was hungry to break the mould. At our first meeting, I told her, ‘Let’s forget your pretty face…I want people to leave the theatre knowing that Deepika Padukone is a reliable actor,’” says Homi, admitting that he was partial to Deepika because “making her Veronica — a free-spirited party girl — was my biggest challenge. She was my favourite character of the film.”
Deepika then went on to feature in films like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Piku, Tamasha and Padmaavat. Homi has made two films with Deepika, Cocktail and Finding Fanny.
Currently, Deepika has taken a break from films. She was supposed to start work on Vishal Bhardwaj’s film starring Irrfan, but Irrfan is undergoing treatment in London. She is among the most bankable stars in Bollywood right now.
