Deepika Padukone Turns 40, Celebrating Two Decades of Stardom in Indian Cinema

Acclaimed Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone turned 40 on Monday, marking four decades of life and nearly two decades of an illustrious career in Indian cinema.

Born on January 5, 1986, Deepika is the daughter of former badminton champion Prakash Padukone. She began her career with modeling and debuted with the 2006 Kannada film "Aishwarya", before making a high-profile entry into Bollywood with Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om (2007), opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Deepika thrilled audiences by playing a double role in this film. The film's sweeping commercial success and her assured performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

In 2008, Deepika's film "Bachna Ae Haseeno" was released, pairing her with Ranbir Kapoor. The film was a moderate success at the box office. Following this, her films like "Chandni Chowk to China" and "Karthik Calling Karthik" failed to perform well at the box office. A turnaround arrived in 2010 with the hit comedy "Housefull", which helped reinforce her box-office appeal.

However, her films, "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey", "Lafangey Parindey" and "Break Ke Baad", released that same year, failed to perform well at the box office.

Deepika's artistic evolution became increasingly evident in the years that followed. In her brief appearance in the film "Dum Maro Dum" (2011), she mesmerised the audience with the item number 'Dum Maro Dum Mit Jaye Gam'.

The film "Cocktail", released in the year 2012, is counted among the important films of Deepika's career, where her pairing with Saif Ali Khan was much liked by the moviegoers. For her strong performance in this film, she was also nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

The momentum peaked in 2013, a year that proved to be defining her career. Films including "Race 2", Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", "Chennai Express" and "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ramleela" emerged as major box-office successes, each crossing the Rs 100 crore milestone and firmly establishing her as one of the most bankable stars in the industry.

She continued her winning streak with "Happy New Year" (2014), which grossed over Rs 200 crore, followed by "Finding Fanny". In 2015, she delivered nuanced p; performances in "Piku", "Tamasha" and "Bajirao Mastani". Both Piku and Bajirao Mastani proved to be superhits at the box office. In 2017, she firmly positioned herself as a high-paid actress with the superhit film, Padmaavat.

She got hitched to Ranveer Singh in the year 2018. Since then, Deepika has continued to balance spectacle with substance through a diverse slate of projects, including "Chhapaak", "83", "Gehraiyaan", "Pathan", "Jawaan", "Fighter", "Kalki 2898 AD" and "Singham Again".

She became a mother in September 2024 and welcomed her daughter, Dua, with Ranveer Singh, marking a new phase in her personal life.

As Deepika steps into her fifth decade, with upcoming ventures such as "King", she continues to command a central place in Indian cinema.