Deepika Padukone Is 'Okay Being Abused' Amid Vanga Row, Says She's Focused On Motherhood

Deepika Padukone is not just an actor but also an entrepreneur and philanthropist. The superstar dons many hats, all while delivering box office successes. In a recent chat with CNBC-TV18, Deepika Padukone reflected

on “what’s next” in her life. She said that she is currently focused on motherhood and revealed that while she does get into controversies, the noise doesn’t bother her.

Deepika Padukone said, “I mean, right now, just motherhood… which is so gratifying and beautiful, but it’s… It’s not like I sit there saying, ‘Today I’m going to reinvent myself, it’s been six months.’ I just like new challenges. I have to keep… I keep asking, I’m curious.”

” If that means doing things that have not been done before I’m okay doing it, I’m okay being the first person” – DP
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She explained, “I like to learn, and if that means doing things that have not been done before, I’m okay doing it. I’m okay being the first person. I’m okay making mistakes. I’m okay being abused at. I’m okay with all of that because I need to keep reinventing and pushing the boundaries.”

When asked how she remains unbothered by the “abuse”, Deepika said, “I think one, my upbringing. Two, being an athlete, I’ve learnt how to cut out the noise. I can very easily do that. Very easily.” Deepika was recently embroiled in controversy after her ouster from two films.

In the same interview, Deepika Padukone broke her silence following reports about her exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and the sequel to Kalki 2898 AD. Speculations suggested that her decision to work an 8-hour shift as a new mother was one of the main reasons behind her stepping away from the projects.

Deepika called out the glaring double standards in Bollywood and said, “By virtue of being a woman, if that’s coming across as being pushy or whatever, then so be it. But it is no secret that a lot of superstars, male superstars in the Indian film industry, have been working for 8 hours for years, and it’s never made headlines.”

She further added, “I don’t want to take names now and make this into this whole thing, but it’s very commonly, publicly known about a lot of male actors who have been working for 8 hours for years. A lot of them work only 8 hours Monday to Friday; they do not work on weekends.”

Deepika emphasised that the Indian film industry remains disorganised despite being called an ‘industry’. She stated, “I think the larger issue is that while the Indian film industry is called an ‘industry’, we’ve never really functioned like one. It’s extremely disorganised, and it’s about time we brought in proper systems and structure.”

Deepika said, “I also know a lot of women now and newly turned mothers who have also started working eight hours. But that also surprisingly didn’t make headlines. So I’m not sure about this myself.”

Deepika welcomed her first child, daughter Dua, with husband Ranveer Singh in September 2024. Despite stepping back from a few projects, the actress continues to maintain a strong presence in the industry. She was last seen in Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again. Up next, Deepika will reunite with Shah Rukh Khan for King, directed by Sujoy Ghosh and produced by Red Chillies Entertainment.