Deepika Padukone: Conversation around diversity in Hollywood is surface-level

In her 15-year-long career, Deepika Padukone carved a niche for herself by headlining several hit films. Moreover, apart from being the face of the film, the actor has worked alongside the leading Bollywood stars and still grabbed the eyeballs of the audience. Her recent hit, Gehraiyaan, saw Deepika stepping into a character she has not portrayed on screen for a long time. During a recent interaction with Vogue India, the actor was asked if she insists on well-rounded female characters in the movies and is also back as a producer.

Deepika gave a very interesting reply, saying that today she is having the opposite difficulty, and she has to insist that filmmakers don't keep her in mind for a certain kind of role. Before approaching the actor, the makers are going through their own filtration and sifting procedure. When she hears about a film going to someone else and wonders why it wasn't me, the filmmaker will usually tell her that they didn't think she would be interested since it didn't have a large enough part for someone like her. 

Deepika went on to say that this could just be an excuse for why they didn't want her to begin with in the film. While answering the question, the actor revealed she doesn't believe she's had that problem in a long time.

Meanwhile, Deepika made her Hollywood debut in 2017 with xXx: Return of Xander Cage and stated in August 2021 that her next international film would be a multicultural epic. When asked what kinds of stories she hopes to communicate to a global audience that emphasises diversity, the actor said that the discourse about diversity in Hollywood is now superficial. It's called "diversity casting" as soon as a black or Asian actor is cast. However, there is still a long way to go before one sees significant progress.

Deepika believes that 80% of those in power still regard inclusive casting as a checkbox to be checked. Some people are sincerely interested in changing the tide, but they are doing so in the incorrect way. It's a learning process, and one that she hopes is sincere.