You think it’s autumn but if you ask us, it has actually been the season of media trials in India. Amid the ongoing Bollywood drug nexus prob, a lot of names from the industry have been raised including Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, and Rakul Preet Singh. And while we find it almost bizarre that it is just women actors who have been named, our major source of contention here happens to be the media trial that they are being subjected to right now.
It is rather sad that it takes just one morsel of misinformation or a wrong step for us to cancel a person and launch a full-fledged social media trial against them even if that person happens to Deepika Padukone. Remember, people are innocent until proven guilty. And maybe you should read about every time Deepika went against the tide and proved her mettle before executing her on the internet. Read on.
When She Participated In The CAA Protests
Bollywood celebs have often been called out for keeping mum on matters concerning political unrest in the country whereas they do everything for public attention at the time of film promotions. However, Deepika broke that cycle by participating in the JNU protests in January 2020 two days after the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University were brutally attacked by a violent mob on January 5.
Not only did the actor visit the campus as a show of solidarity with the students but also risked an important film in the quest. Deepika’s film, Chhapaak, was up for release within a week of the protests and the act of support for the students did raise a social media storm. While many people lauded Deepika for doing the right thing, several people, including BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, called for a boycott of her film.
Speaking About Her Mental Health Struggles
It is seldom that successful actors in India talk about their mental health struggles especially when they happen to be at their career-best. The reason is simple, mental health struggles are generally looked down as individual failures in a country like ours and no one wants to taint their career highs with that kind of information. Rest assured, Deepika wasn’t certainly one to maintain a facade and put up a show.
Following the phenomenal success of Chennai Express, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and a Filmfare win in 2013, career-wise the year 2014 was looking really good for the actress. She had proved her mettle as an artist, was being lauded for her roles in all these movies. And yet Deepika was falling apart, something she didn’t shy away from sharing with the world as soon as she gained a grasp of her situation. In 2015, she revealed a detailed account of what depression and anxiety did to her & shared, “Every morning, it was a struggle to wake up, and shoot for Happy New Year’s (HNY; 2014) climax.”
In a number of subsequent chats, Deepika also talked about how she was reluctant to take medications, how a friend’s death due to depression forced her to do so, and how it is not necessary for a depressed person to look so. She also went to start the Live Love Laugh Foundation to help those struggling with mental health.
It was a huge deal and really did catalyse the mental health conversation in the country as people finally realised that success was no yardstick for one’s mental health.
Openly Talked About Ranbir’s Infidelity
Again, it is rare for Bollywood celebs to wear their heart on sleeves like Deepika has all this while keeping it absolutely unfiltered and real. Back when Deepika and Ranbir Kapoor were dating, the entire country shipped this couple. We were almost sure that they’d get married and live happily ever after. Quite naturally, it was a major shocker when the news of their break up went out. There were a number of rumours doing rounds and the actress put it all to a pause by openly talking about Ranbir’s infidelity.
“The first time he cheated on me, I thought there was something wrong with me or the relationship, but when someone makes a habit of it, you know the problem lies with him. Yet I was foolish enough to give him a second chance because he begged and pleaded, despite the fact that everyone around me said he was still staying,” she said in a media statement. Of course, it takes a lot of courage and strength to do that and yet she sailed through, forgave Ranbir, and continues to be friends with him.
When She Shut Paparazzi For Objectifying Her body
From titillating item numbers to dialogues smeared with endless innuendo, Bollywood has had a long-standing history of objectifying women so much so that it is almost a norm now with hardly anyone raising any voice against it. Again, Deepika decided to ride against the tide after a picture of her cleavage went viral. Being her brazen best, Deepika took to Twitter and shut the entire moral policing brigade with just one tweet. She wrote: “Yes I am a woman. I have breasts. I have cleavage. You got a problem?” And while no one has dared to repeat it, we know when meddled with, Deepika will do it again.
Her Own Boss
No matter how successful an actress becomes in the Indian industry, post her wedding her financial status is often connected with her husband. However, Deepika Padukone has always made it a point to steer clear of this nonsense and had an amazing answer when a journalist decided to assume that Chhapaak had Ranveer Singh’s money invested in it by saying, “ghar ka paisa laga hua hai”.
As soon as the reporter insinuated this, Deepika shut down the sexist remark. She made it clear that it is her hard-earned money and has nothing to do with her spouse. She slammed, “Excuse me! Yeh kisne bola?! Yeh mere khud ke paise hain, excuse me! Meri mehnat hai! (Excuse me! Who told you that? This is my own money. My hard work!).”
Her Bold Makeup Choices
Amid some hits and misses, Deepika has given us some glorious makeup looks over the years that will keep inspiring us for a long time to come. In a country obsessed with fair skin, Deepika has time and again shown us the pointlessness of this exercise by always embracing her honey-hued skin and serving makeup looks custom made for the tone. We are specifically talking about her wedding makeup here and how she made some bold choices quite uncharacteristic of Bollywood actresses or Indian brides in general for that matter. She opted for a barely-there makeup look for the wedding ceremony that turned out to be striking in every sense of the word. While keeping it minimal for both her skin and a taupe-nude lips, she chose defined smokey eyes in a makeup look that few can carry and even fewer would opt for their wedding.
Here’s how to recreate it:
Also, special mention to her Frida Kahlo Hair from the reception ceremony. Truly iconic!
That said, can we please stop this media trial mockery already?
Featured Image: Instagram
