Although most people are aware of it Deepika Padukone Made her debut in Hindi cinema with ‘Om Shanti Om’, her first film was actually in Kannada as ‘Aishwarya’. managed it Indrajit Lankesh. As the director gears up for the release of his upcoming film ‘Jai Hind Jai Sindh’, he looks back at ‘Aishwarya’ which was a milestone in his career that launched Deepika. The filmmaker opened up about discovering the future star and casting her in his 2006 film, how her confidence and screen presence stood out from the first meeting.Lankesh shared that he was looking for a new face when Deepika’s name was suggested to him. “I was looking for a new heroine, and someone recommended Deepika,” he said in an interview with IANS. The filmmaker revealed that their first meeting was arranged by Pooja Dadlani, who directed Deepika at the time and is now working with Shah Rukh Khanits manager. According to Lankesh, the casting happened almost immediately, even before they sat down to discuss the project properly.“We met in an elevator, and I started narrating the story. I barely said two lines when she was convinced. That’s how Deepika was cast as Aishwarya. She already had confidence. I created an environment where she could act fearlessly,” he said.Lankesh also recalls recognizing Deepika’s potential long before she became an international star. He said his personality and determination convinced him that he was destined for great success.“He had the height, the looks, the screen presence and most importantly the hunger to prove himself. I told him one day that he would be a Hollywood star. Years later, when he worked with Vin Diesel, I remembered that conversation.”The director also addressed a long-standing misconception about Deepika’s early career. He clarified that he did not start work on ‘Om Shanti Om’ while shooting for ‘Aishwarya’. According to her, Shahrukh Khan introduced her to Bollywood only after ‘Aishwarya’ had a successful 100-day theatrical run.‘Aishwarya’ stars Upendra, Deepika O Daisy BopannaAnd it was the official remake of the 2002 Telugu film ‘Manmadhudu’.
