Isn't
it
interesting
that
when
Farah
Khan
wanted
a
newcomer
for
her
2007
film
Om
Shanti
Om,
she
zeroed
in
on
then
debutante
Deepika
Padukone?
And
when
she
wanted
a
"star" for
her
new
film
Happy
New
Year,
it
was
the
same
name
that
struck
her.
Farah
says
Deepika
leaves
her
impressed
with
her
all-rounder
quality.
"I'm
so
happy
that
Deepika
is
in
Happy
New
Year," Farah
told
IANS
on
phone
from
Mumbai.
Busy
directing
Happy
New
Year,
she
can
only
look
back
with
a
smile
at
how
Deepika
has
emerged
in
a
league
of
her
own.
Rightly
so!
The
actress
delivered
four
back-to-back
hits
at
the
Bollywood
box
office
in
2013
-
Race
2,
Yeh
Jawaani
Hai
Deewani,
Chennai
Express
and
Goliyon
Ki
Raasleela
Ram-Leela
-
and
emerged
as
a
hero
among
heroes,
quite
literally.
Each
role
and
film
was
different
from
the
other
and
yet
each
of
these
sailed
smoothly
to
the
Rs.100
crore
club.
Deepika's
dancing,
acting,
poise,
confidence
and
most
importantly,
her
versatility,
was
hailed.
She
recently
clinched
both
the
best
actress
awards
-
popular
choice
and
jury
-
at
the
Life
OK
Screen
Awards,
where
she
also
staged
a
startling
dance
performance.
In
fact,
Dips
also
bagged
the
Best
Actress
Award
at
the
Star
Guild
Awards
held
on
January
16.
For
Farah,
Deepika
is
an
all-rounder.
"Maybe
she
was
very
good-looking,
she
had
a
fabulous
body
and
she
could
dance,
but
in
Om
Shanti
Om,
we
presented
her
really
well.
After
that
I
felt
her
potential
wasn't
being
exploited
-
either
she
was
not
acting
too
well
or
the
directors
were
not
using
her
well.
But
I
think
in
the
last
two
years,
she
has
really
come
into
her
own
and
it's
not
shocking
that
sometimes
she
does
a
scene
and
I'm
like
'great',"
said
Farah.
The
choreographer-filmmaker
remembers
how
during
the
Om
Shanti
Om
shooting,
she
had
to
tell
Deepika
"everything"
about
playing
the
double
role
of
superstar
Shanti
and
a
commoner
Sandhya.
"
'Look
left,
look
right,
now
turnaround,
now
smile',
I
used
to
tell
her
everything.
But
now
she
comes
all
prepared
and
does
something
wonderful
in
front
of
the
camera,"
the
49-year-old
filmmaker
said.
The
process
of
choosing
an
actress
for
Happy
New
Year
was
long
and
tedious,
but
Farah
is
glad
Deepika
is
playing
the
"pivotal"
part.
"For
Om
Shanti
Om,
I
was
confident
I
wanted
a
newcomer.
And
for
this
one
(Happy
New
Year),
I
felt
I
needed
a
top
actress
to
hold
a
whole
drama
between
five
guys
together.
Deepika
was
perfect,"
she
added.
The
casting
for
the
role
that
Deepika
plays
in
the
movie
went
on
for
almost
a
year,
recalls
Farah.
And
then
the
filmmaker
also
had
the
curious
media
playing
the
guessing
game
for
a
long
time.
"It
had
become
a
national
obsession,"
Farah
quipped.
Happy
New
Year,
a
musical
heist,
features
a
cast
of
six
actors
-
Shahrukh
Khan,
Abhishek
Bachchan,
Boman
Irani,
Sonu
Sood,
Vivaan
Shah
and
Deepika.
"She's
got
such
a
pivotal
role.
She's
the
only
girl
and
she's
literally
their
coach
and
teacher.
Deepika
has
become
such
a
good
actress
that
even
I
was
shocked
sometimes
with
her
acting,"
said
Farah.
The
movie
is
currently
being
shot,
and
it
will
be
ready
for
release
around
Diwali
this
year.
IANS