Power Superstar: Deepika Padukone

Her emotional performance in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela in 2013 got her rave reviews. and two of her other releases last year, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express, rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time. One of the highest-paid actresses in Bollywood, Padukone is trained in Bharat Natyam and was once a state-level badminton player. Her off-screen life is a favourite subject of tabloid reporting but on a personal level, she is extremely simple, grounded and an accessible diva who is very self-driven.

Starting off: She would wake up at five in the morning, go for physical training, go to school, go to play badminton, return, finish her homework and go to sleep. Realising that she was playing the game only because it ran in the family, she asked her father if she could give it up and he wasn’t upset at all.

Passionate about: Music, eating, travelling and the movies. She enjoys idlis and dim sums, and likes her lobster served in the wilds of Africa.

Good times: Good conversation, food and fun board games.

Loves: Scuba diving, bungee jumping, kickboxing, camping and trekking.

Favourite holiday destination: The French riviera for yachting and cruising.

Family ties: She admits that she misses her family, but luckily her work keeps her from getting homesick. She does not want them to uproot their lives from Bengaluru just for her.

On new feminism: ‘It isn’t about being aggressive; it’s about reaching the top yet being soft. It’s about being ‘you’ — feminine and strong.’

Next on the list: Finding Fanny, Happy New Year and the much awaited Kochadaiiyaan opposite Rajinikanth.