Two decades after she first walked down a runway, Deepika Padukone says she’s entering a phase of work that looks very different from the one she started with—quieter, more thoughtful, and anchored in what actually matters to her now.

Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar India, she said big-budget films no longer excite her and that storytelling drives her today. “Honestly, how much more fame, how much more success, how much more money? At this stage, it’s not about that anymore. It’s not about the ₹100-crore films, or even the ₹500–₹600 crore ones.” Advertisement

Padukone says creativity—not scale—is what keeps her going. She is drawn to interesting ideas, strong writing, and people who want to build something meaningful. “What excites me is the ability to enable storytelling and give technicia

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