"We're happy together"-Deepika

She may have made her first runway appearance at just 17, taken Bollywood by storm and is the current face of Maybelline, but Deepika Padukone says she'll always be a family girl at heart.

Having spent the past five months away from home and family while on location for her latest film, Padukone stopped off in Dubai to launch a real estate development of which she has agreed to be ambassador — a collaboration which at first seemed a little tenuous.

But it wasn't long before I understood the similarities. Aspire, a Dubai-based real estate company, like Padukone began to make names for themselves around three years ago. Both young and vibrant, the company and actress alike are rising stars in their own right with big plans for the future. But look further and (although it may seem a little cheesy) both are also about much more than money but a commitment to people.

Striking in black and turquoise, Padukone couldn't be sweeter if you loaded up with 6kg of caster sugar, and she took the time to tell tabloid! the truth about her career, aspirations and most importantly – her love life.

  

Scandalous reports

With scandalous reports in the Indian and international press about her relationship with Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor, Padukone finally clears up the rumours.

Breaking into a huge grin when asked about her love life the 23-year-old looked bashful as she found the words to explain. "Yes I have a boyfriend and we are very happy," said Padukone. "There is always lots of speculation but that is something you have to deal with. We are together and I refer to him as my boyfriend!"

Amongst the most notable of her career endeavours has been her partnership with Jewel of India, a yearly exhibition for jewellery lovers.

Deepika's face has now gone international, thanks to her cover girl work with make-up giant Maybelline.

Excerpts from the interview:

You have joined forces with a real estate company. How would you describe your dream home?

My dream home is simple. It's not about a place but about the people and my dream home would be somewhere with all my family around me. That is my dream — to one day own a home where we can all live comfortably.

Tell us about filming your latest movie, Chandni Chowk To China?

It has been so much fun and I have really had a great time. Being away from my family for so long has not been easy but I have managed. They visited me, which is great, and I have been home a few times. It is great to see different parts of the world but filming abroad does carry a lot more stress than filming in your home country.

You are moving forward in your career every day. What have you learnt from this film?

This film has been very different for me because it's an action movie, which has been such a huge challenge. I had to get fit and prepare physically and mentally to do many of my own stunts — including work on the wires which meant flying through the air – that was fun but a real challenge for me.

But you are quite a sporty girl, so surely you loved it?

I love sports and I play baseball, basketball and anything else ending in "ball" really! I keep quite fit but it was pretty hard to keep fit while on location because you are filming all the time. I went to the gym quite a lot before we travelled to Bangkok and China for filming but I also didn't want to end up too big and look like a body builder!

Who do you most look up to?

That's easy. My mother. She is the most amazing person I know and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to comprehend how she has always managed to juggle her entire life for me, my sister and my father. She always seems to get the balance right and she's wonderful. She is the one woman I aspire to be like at all times.

 What's the best thing about your job?

The best thing is that I get to play many different roles and be different people all the time. I think being me all the time could get a little boring. Also, the travelling is great and I'm getting to see some wonderful places.

 How did you enjoy being in Bangkok and China?

I thought they were wonderful places and it was nice to visit them for long periods of time as you can really get to understand a place better. You have a chance to meet the people and eat the food and live the way the people of that country live too.

What's the worst thing about your job?

Probably the stress of filming sometimes. It's a great job but obviously when you are filming continuously it gets pretty stressful.

 You model, act and love sports. Is there anything you don't do?

I quite enjoy singing and dancing but I certainly wouldn't say I'm any good at it. I definitely wouldn't go as far as to say I had talent!

Your father is a famous badminton player. Was it something you ever considered?

In high school I played badminton at the state level — like my father — and was even a member of his badminton club. But I wanted to do other things and loved modelling so much that it always took over.

What do you think of Dubai?

I love coming to Dubai and I'm always made to feel so welcome here. My trips are always very short but maybe I can come for longer next time and see more of the city.

Love of her life

Deepika Padukone, the most wanted girl in Bollywood, has been linked to three major Indian sports and movie personalities. She was first linked to Indian cricket team captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and then to his team-mate and friend, Yuvraj Singh and now the latest Kapoor scion Ranbir. Though the actress has cleverly dodged flings with the cricketers, we know for sure that earlier this year Padukone flew down to Australia where Yuvraj Singh was playing the India-Australia test series to shoot a Yashraj film, Bachna Ae Haseenon. Padukone was spotted watching a match in Sydney on Singh's special invite and also celebrated her 22nd birthday with the cricketer on January 5. But thanks go to Siddharth Anand, who played cupid in bringing together Padukone and Kapoor. She was shooting for his film when she and Kapoor met in Australia and love blossomed. Overnight they become the most talked-about pair in the film industry. Kapoor, for his part, did not hide their blooming love from the world when on the sets of the Lakme India fashion show. Bollywood's latest heartthrob, Kapoor walked the ramp for the first time, stopping mid-way to blow a kiss to his lady-love. She naturally reddened and hid behind Ranbir's mother Neetu Kapoor.

Padukone's heavy overseas film schedule nearly scuppered the romance with Indian gossip columns reporting in recent weeks that Kapoor was finding it difficult to deal with the distance.

But now with both the parties having accepted that they have a love interest in each other, we expect nothing less than fireworks to fly in their forthcoming release Bachna Ae Haseenon.

— Suparna Dutt D'Cunha

Did you know?

After pursuing a successful career in modelling, Deepika Padukone started her acting career by starring in the music video for the song Naam Hai Tera from the independent pop album Aap Kaa Surroor by Himesh Reshammiya.

In 2006, Padukone made her cinematic debut in the Kannada film, Aishwarya, starring opposite actor Upendra. She later made a successful Bollywood debut in 2007 with Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om opposite Shah Rukh Khan. The film went on to become the biggest hit of the year, both in India and abroad. The film featured her portraying Shantipriya — a 1970s superstar, and later as Sandy — a contemporary teenager. Her performance was well-received, earning the actress a Filmfare and Zee Cine Best Female Debut Award as well as her first Filmfare Best Actress nomination. Film critic Taran Adarsh noted: "Deepika has all it takes to be a top star — the personality, the looks and yes, she's supremely talented too. Standing in the same frame as SRK and getting it right is no small achievement. She comes as a whiff of fresh air!"

Padukone is currently working on Siddharth Anand's Bachna Ae Haseenon opposite Ranbir Kapoor and Nikhil Advani's Chandni Chowk To China opposite Akshay Kumar.