Published By: Sayan Paul

Happy Birthday, Deepika Padukone: Did You Know The 'Fighter' Actress Was Once A National-Level Badminton Player?

While growing up, Deepika Padukone was incredibly passionate about sports, particularly badminton.

Deepika Padukone's achievements - watching her journey from 'Om Shanti Om' to 'Kalki 2898 AD' - feel like a personal victory. Because she is the embodiment of the dreams that we see ourselves. Her stature as an international icon reminds us of the girl with big aspirations that she once was. Her statements (about everything from society to mental health) give us hope and inspire us to overcome challenges. And her relentless pursuit of excellence - even after achieving all the success - makes us realize that it's a journey and not a destination. Hence, when she wins, she wins for countless individuals who idolize her.

(Credit: LetsCinema)

Born on January 5, 1986, Deepika made her Bollywood debut with 'Om Shanti Om' in 2007. Well, there has been no looking back for her ever since.

Today, on the actress's 39th birthday, let's learn an interesting fact about her that many are unaware of.

When Deepika Padukone Was A National-Level Badminton Player

Deepika Padukone's father, Prakash Padukone, is a former professional badminton player, who was ranked World No. 1 in 1980. In fact, he is a recipient of the Arjuna Award (1972) and the Padma Shri (1982).

(Credit: Dr Pooja Tripathi)

Hence, Deepika's knack for badminton was natural. While growing up in Bengaluru, she played badminton competitively and wanted to pursue it as a career. And she played the sport in various national-level championships. In her words, "I would wake up at five in the morning, go for physical training, go to school, again go for playing badminton, finish my homework, and go to sleep."

(Credit: Priyanka Advani)

The Impact Of Badminton On Her Life And Career

Of course, Deepika didn't continue playing the sport after a certain point in her life. However, the actress has time and again said how it has shaped her.

As she explained in one of her interviews, "When I was growing up my father said to me, ‘To be the best, always remember the three D’s – Discipline, Dedication and Determination. Follow your heart. Do what you are passionate about.’ Sport has taught me how to handle failure. It has also taught me how to handle success and has kept me grounded. It has taught me humility. Two years ago I struggled with depression. I was sinking. I almost gave up. But it was the athlete in me that gave me the strength to fight and never ever give up!"

(Credit: Olympic Khel)

"It teaches you about success and failure. Honestly, I didn’t have to keep up with it, but I know what it’s made me; the value it adds, the virtues and the qualities I have learned today as a human being because of being an athlete. If I didn’t have that experience, I think I would have turned out to be completely different," she added.

Foray Into Modeling. And Then Acting

While studying in the tenth grade, Deepika realized that badminton wasn't what she would like to pursue as a career. Around that time, she was fascinated with the world of showbiz and hence wanted to enter this field.

As the actress later explained, "I realized that I was playing the game only because it ran in the family. So, I asked my father if I could give up the game and he wasn't upset at all."

She first appeared in a few advertising campaigns as a child model. Later, during her teenage, she modeled for various renowned brands, especially in television. In 2005, she made her runway debut at the Lakme Fashion Week for designer Suneet Varma. In the following year, she appeared in a popular print campaign for the 2006 Kingfisher Calendar.

(Credit: 15 Years Of Queen Deepika Padukone)

Well, it was designer Wendell Rodricks who first spotted Deepika. He showed a few photos of her to Malaika, who in turn showed them to her friend, director Farah Khan who was looking for a new face for the heroine in 'Om Shanti Om'. The rest, as they say, is history.

Happy Birthday, Deepika. Thanks For Inspiring Us!