Deepika Padukone says she was afraid of being 'written off' because of her 'frowned upon' South Indian accent

Today Deepika Padukone has established herself as one of the best actors in the country. She has delivered a slew of successful films throughout the course of her 14-year career. With films like Piku (2015), Bajirao Mastani (2015), and Tamasha (2015), the actress has cemented her position as a powerful performer.

It wasn't always simple for her, though. The actor recalled the difficulties she faced in her early days in showbiz. Padukone, who has tasted success as a top female star, reflected on her path and remarked, “I do see the obvious disparity between men and women in almost any aspect of life, but never in my journey have I felt the need to compare. And I think it’s to do with the fact that my sister and I weren’t brought up like that. We weren’t constantly reminded of the fact that we were girls, and so we had to go into the world thinking differently and fighting for what we deserved. But I did have to tackle other challenges.”

"Coming from a sports background meant I did not have a natural inroad into Bollywood. My South Indian accent was also frowned upon and I initially worried about being written off because of it,” she added.

The 83 (2021) actress also spoke on the change she can now bring about as a result of her achievement. “As an outsider to the industry, I inadvertently ended up becoming an observer, which I believe has enabled me to change the status quo. Earlier, I probably didn’t have the confidence or the clout to be able to effect change, but the desire for it was always there,” she said.

On the work front, Deepika Padukone will be next seen in Pathaan, Fighter, The Intern and Project K.