Deepika Padukone - A daring star driven by fearlessness

Right from speaking about her depression to visiting the JNU Campus, Deepika Padukone shows how a Bollywood star can display both her valour and vulnerability with unabashedness.

What does it take for a Bollywood star to take a stand? Are their infallibilities only restricted to the celluloid? What makes them so submissive and scared when it comes to judiciously use their clout off the celluloid? There aren't too many names that come to mind when we talk about the times when actors spoke or stood for a cause fearlessly.

Their silences may be driven by the fear of the establishment, and there have been instances when some of the biggest stars in the country have faced the ire of being vocal about their opinions. However, there has been a ray of hope in the form of Deepika Padukone, who, despite being one of the biggest names in the business, has always stood for what she felt was the need of the hour, without bothering about the consequences.

Here are some of the instances that showed why Deepika Padukone is a brave actor driven by fearlessness:

1. Visiting the JNU Campus

Ever since last night, she has been receiving a lot of applause and appreciation for standing by the students in the JNU in Delhi. Right from the politicians to the actors, people cannot stop raving about the actress' participation in the protest. When one half of the industry opted to be politically correct in its stand, here was an A-lister standing with the students with grace and aplomb.

2. The Padmaavat Pandemonium

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, while accepting the Best Director Award for Padmaavat at one of the functions, spoke how no filmmaker in the history of cinema went through as much trouble and turmoil as he did, and rightly so! Deepika Padukone was brutally attacked for playing the role of Rani Padmaavati by a group in Rajasthan and they even declared a bounty for whoever chopped off the actress' nose.

Also, during one of the film's promotional events, an artist made a special Rangoli of the film's poster that was mercilessly destroyed by the said group. And this was when she slammed the people involved on her social media. Take a look at her tweets:

absolutely heart breaking to see the recent attack on artist Karan and his artwork!disgusting and appalling to say the least! pic.twitter.com/Ot2Aki0MiA

— Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) October 18, 2017

Who are these people?Who is responsible for their actions?For how long are we going to let this go on? pic.twitter.com/2WFN0jcdua

— Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) October 18, 2017

this has to stop NOW & action must be taken! @smritiirani pic.twitter.com/o5RGhDTHPJ

— Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) October 18, 2017

But nobody could stop the film from becoming a blockbuster and the rest is history!

3. Slamming A Leading Publication

Remember when a leading daily stooped to displaying Padukone's cleavage as their headline? And who can forget the actress' rebuttal on Twitter that earned her the respect and support of the entire fraternity? This was perhaps one of the only times when the whole Bollywood brigade came together to stand by its member.

4. Talking About Depression

Depression is the most rampant ailment in the entertainment industry. Right from failures to subterfuges, actors have battled them all, but not many had the courage to come out and openly talk about their emotional turmoil. Deepika Padukone did that! She became one of the first people from Bollywood to confess she suffered from Depression in 2014 and how a state of emptiness crept in.

Talking about it in one of her interviews, she said, "I woke up like feeling directionless, I didn't know where to go, I didn't know what to do and I had these bouts of feeling so low that I would just start crying at the drop of the hat. It is scary to talk about it, I mean and I think that's why I am doing this because it's been so hard for me that I don't want anyone else to go through it."

And for this very reason, she started her own foundation, Live Love Laugh, an admirable initiative that aims to reduce the stigma attached to depression, spread awareness, and change the way we all look at mental health.

And how can we forget her decision to bank and act in a film as well-intentioned as Chhapaak? The story of the acid-attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal deserves to be seen and heard by all the four corners, and the film also reflects how such attacks can only destroy a face, never the spirits! The same may hold true for the actress, her ups and downs may shake her for a while, but her spirit will always be undeterred!

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