While most people are aware that Deepika Padukone made her Hindi cinema debut with ‘Om Shanti Om’, her first film was actually in Kannada called ‘Aishwarya’. It was directed by Indrajit Lankesh. As the director gears up for the release of his upcoming film ‘Jai Hind Jai Sindh’, he has looked back on ‘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 recalling how her confidence and screen presence stood out from the very first meeting.Lankesh shared that he had been searching for a fresh 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 was managing Deepika at the time and now serves as Shah Rukh Khan‘s manager. According to Lankesh, the casting happened almost immediately, even before they had properly sat down to discuss the project.“We met in a lift, and I started narrating the story. I had barely spoken two lines when she was convinced. That’s how Deepika was cast in Aishwarya. She already had the confidence. I just created an atmosphere where she could perform fearlessly,” he said.Lankesh also recalled recognising Deepika’s potential long before she became an international star. He said her personality and determination convinced him she was destined for great success.“She had the height, the look, the screen presence, and, most importantly, the hunger to prove herself. I told her one day she’d become a Hollywood star. Years later, when she worked with Vin Diesel, I remembered that conversation.”The director also addressed a long-standing misconception about Deepika’s early career. He clarified that she had not begun working on ‘Om Shanti Om’ while filming ‘Aishwarya’. According to him, Shah Rukh Khan cast her in the Bollywood debut only after ‘Aishwarya’ completed a successful 100-day theatrical run.‘Aishwarya’ starred Upendra, Deepika and Daisy Bopanna, and was the official remake of the 2002 Telugu film ‘Manmadhudu’.
