How did Deepika get Om Shanti Om?

It’s not every day that a newcomer gets to work with Shah Rukh Khan in their debut film, but Deepika Padukone was one lucky girl. A model; that was spotted by Farah Khan while looking for a new face for her upcoming film Om Shanti Om. And the 2007 film changed her life forever. Deepika got her big ticket to Bollywood, and the film industry got a promising talent.

In the 11 years following her big Bollywood debut, Deepika has become a name to reckon with. She has some of the best films under her belt and a promising line-up to boast about. And Deepika dedicates all her success to her first film.

On India Today India Tomorrow with Rajdeep Sardesai, the 32-year-old actress opened up on her journey in Bollywood and said that Om Shaanti Om changed her life forever.

"Om Shanti Om put me on the map. It changed my life overnight. When I left Mumbai for the world premiere, people viewed me very differently. The minute I landed at immigration, I realised my life had changed," said Deepika.

When asked what worked for an outsider like her in the film industry, Deepika said, "It was a combination of being at the right place at the right time, talent, hard work, dedication and sacrifices."

She added that luck and opportunity plays an important role. "The fact that I moved to Mumbai, the fact that I had Anil Anand in my life that encouraged me and pushed me in that direction or Atul Kasbekar was the first person to speak to my parents to ask me to move to Mumbai. Spotting the talent and coming on as my agent at that time," said Deepika.

The Piku actress added, "Farah making Om Shanti Om at that time, wanting to cast a newcomer at that time. She could have chosen to cast an established actress but she chose to go with a newcomer. She came across the ad I had done and decided that I was perfect for the role. She didn't know who I was. She purely saw me in these couples of ad campaigns, took it Shah Rukh who was willing to take that risk.