Never had to audition in Bollywood: Deepika

Deepika Padukone opened up about the rise of Indian cinema on the international stage

Bollywood star Deepika Padukone opened up about the rise of Indian cinema on the international stage. With ‘All We Imagine as Light’ winning the Grand Prix at Cannes 2024, Deepika’s statement became topical. Talking about the newfound attention on Indian cinema, Deepika said that it has less to do with the way we are making films and more to do with the West opening up to our brand of cinema.

“I don’t think we’ve drastically changed anything in India about the way that we work or the kinds of stories that we tell. I think we’ve always had interesting stories to tell, but I do think that what has changed is that the world has opened up to the idea of the East and India in particular and I think that’s the change, realising there is a world outside of America,” she told ‘Deadline’. Deepika noted how ‘RRR’ and the success of ‘Naatu

Naatu’ song from the film, which went on to win the Oscar, made the world smaller for Indian cinema. “I think the world has become smaller and the world has come together and it’s really about telling great stories. Whether it’s working in Sweden or Bosnia, it’s about telling interesting stories that resonate for an audience across the world,” she said.

However, getting into Hollywood seems to be a whole different ball game according to Padukone. The actor opined that it was anything like Bollywood. Deepika made her Hollywood debut with 2017’s ‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage’ with Vin Diesel. Reminiscing about her break, Deepika said it was a new experience as she had never auditioned before for a role as she became an overnight sensation when Farah Khan case her in ‘Om Shanti Om’ without doing any sort of test. “About a decade ago, when I started my journey in the West auditioning, it was a really new process for me because I’d never had to audition. I wasn’t a trained actor and I never went to a fancy acting school - everything that I’ve learned has been on the job.”

She said that it has less to do with the w ay we are making films