ABOUT DEEPIKA PADUKONE:Deepika Padukone (Konkani:ದೀಪಿಕಾ ಪಡುಕೋಣೆ)) is an Indian actress and a former model. Padukone made her acting debut with the 2006 Kannada film Aishwarya. The following year, she made her Hindi film debut with the blockbuster Om Shanti Om which earned her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award.
Padukone was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her family moved to Bangalore, India, when she was eleven months old. Padukone is of Mangalorean origin, and her mother tongue is Konkani. Her lineage hails from Padukone village in Kundapura Taluk in the Udupi District of the state of Karnataka, India. Her father, Prakash Padukone, is a retired badminton player of international repute, and her mother is a travel agent. Padukone also has a younger sister, Anisha, born on February 2, 1991.
Padukone attended Sophia High School in Bangalore, and completed her pre-university studies at Mount Carmel College in Bangalore. While in high school she played badminton at the state level. However, she was not keen on pursuing a career as a badminton player.
Modeling
While in college, Padukone pursued a career in modeling. She was spotted in a ramp competition in NLS, Bangalore. Over the years, she has modeled for such Indian brand names as Liril, Dabur Lal powder, Close-Up toothpaste and Limca, and has been "brand ambassador" for the Jewels of India retail jewelery show. The cosmetics company Maybelline made her its international spokesperson.
