Hits Ki Rasaleela ‘Deepika’-leela

Hits Ki Rasaleela ‘Deepika’-leela

Saumesh Thimbath 

In another one month’s time, when the charts of the highest-grossers of the year are prepared a name and a dimpled smile will be at the top, not once but thrice. Three of the highest-grossers of Bollywood in 2013, Yeh Jawaani Hai Diwaani, Chennai Express and Goliyon Ka Rasaleela Ramleela (which is racing fast to the top spot) will have one factor in common – Deepika Padukone.  After a stellar debut in Om Shanti Om, Deepika’s onscreen acts haven’t garnered her much attention, but she was in the limelight, nevertheless, for her much hyped romantic affairs with Ranbir Kapoor and Siddharth Mallya. The dull phase set in soon and the film pundit’s sadist hobby, ‘writing off’, was to follow. But luckily for Deepika, Cocktail happened and she was on a roll ever since. 

Her next outing after Cocktail was in Yeh Jawaani Hai Diwani, were she was paired with her ex-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor, against whom she had leveled accusations of infidelity only months earlier. The pairing created enough hype as the audience was not used to watching a separated couple laughing and celebrating, either onscreen or offscreen. Deepika and Ranbir laughed their way into the top grosser charts.

Like the Scorpios in Rohit Shetty movies, the collections for her next movie Chennai Express, co-starring SRK, shot up high and became the highest grossing Bollywood movie ever. Though her accent attracted criticism from many quarters, nobody was in doubt about her charm and attitude. And now Goliyon Ka Rasaleela Ramleela has already crossed the 50 crore mark in the first three days and could break a few records on the way up. She was paired with her beau, Ranveer Singh, in the movie and made the smart decision of keeping her love-life away from the media. There could be one more blockbuster to her credit this year if Rajnikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan lives up to the hype that is created.

One aspect of Deepika’s personality that stands out is her resilience and determination which she imbibed on the badminton courts she was training hard in her younger days. This ‘sportswoman spirit’ is what makes us stop and take notice of her. Match point.