It seems flying in an economy class is no more a big deal for the Bollywood celebrities. After Hema Malini who played it cool as she flew in an economy class, it was Deepika Padukone along with the team of ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’ who traveled in the economy class this Monday from Jaipur to Mumbai. The private jet in which they were supposed to go could not head for Mumbai due to a cyclone threat. It was necessary for the team members to reach Mumbai as most of them had to leave for Dubai for the premiere on Tuesday morning. So, they had to book themselves into the economy class of a commercial airline.

The team had a gala time as they spent their night playing cards instead of taking rest even after a hectic day.

Deepika recalls, “We had blocked a whole row and instead of sleeping after a super-hectic day we started playing Mendicot. We forgot we were in a commercial flight. So we were yelling and screaming in excitement while the rest of the passengers were trying to sleep.”

Deepika is now hooked to the game and says, “I can’t stop playing Mendicot. Ritesh and Farhan introduced me and director Vijay Lalwani to the game. When we took off on Sunday from Mumbai on our private jet the first thing Farhan and Ritesh did was to teach us this game. I’ve become addicted.

I loved the whirlwind promotional tour. For two days I had more fun than I’ve had in my entire life. Throughout the trip we played Mendicot -not teen patti, please! We didn’t sleep at all for two days because some of the flight-duration was less than two hours. So all we did was play Mendicot on flight.”
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“I’ve never been afraid of doing something just because it’s different. In fact, each role that I have portrayed on screen so far has been in stark contrast from the other,”she avers. 

For someone who made news right from her much-talked about Bollywood launchpad opposite Shah Rukh Khan (in Om Shanti Om), Deepika continues to make for some good headlines. Her current offering (Karthik Calling Karthik) too made news much before it hit the theatres. Movie buffs went full throttle about the unusual pairing between her and leading man Farhan Akhtar, some to the extent of even romantically linking the two together. “Who defines what’s usual and unusual? I don’t see how Farhan and I are any different from the other on-screen jodis in terms of complimenting each other. If two actors are cast opposite one another it’s because they suit their particular roles and make a good on-screen pair. Initially, I was intimidated by Farhan. But then I saw he was so chilled out and just like the other leading men I’ve worked with —fun and focused.” 

Deepika’s portrayal as the new age girl in many flicks has endeared her to the audience. Her last big screen outing, Love Aaj Kal struck BO gold and redefined Bollywood romance. “I always knew that the movie will have an impact on the audience,” says Deepika. Speaking on how the film still has an impact on her, Deepika says, “In real life too, I’m a lot like Meera, I’m always surrounded by my friends. And I think I see relationships just the way Meera does. See, when in a romantic relationship everything (else) takes a backseat. In our lives, there are times when you realise that though you love a certain person a lot, you can’t live with him. Nothing in life makes sense. Like me, a lot of young people have been able to relate to all that Meera went through in LAK quite a bit and may have experienced a lot of those emotions/experiences,” she confesses. 

From playing independent and outgoing characters, Deepika is now switching gears to period films and comedy — something she has never done before. “I’m playing Kaplana Dutta in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Khelenge Jee Jaan Se. It’s a completely different world and at the same time a very important part of history. It’s a great responsibility for someone like me and I have to do justice to the character,” quips the actor. 

Sajid Khan’s Houseful is already creating a buzz (thanks to the sizzling bikini bod that Deepika flaunts) and she’s excited too. “Comedy is the toughest thing to do. Especially Sajid’s brand of comedy where you have a tough time enacting a scene because you just can’t control your laughter,” she says with palpable excitement. 

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