Imtiaz Ali clarifies calling Deepika Padukone 'good girl' and later 'facade' in 'Main Wapas Aaunga' interview

Highlights:

• Imtiaz Ali clarified his remark about Deepika Padukone.
• He shared a message for Deepika on Instagram Stories.
• The filmmaker recalled casting her as Veronica in Cocktail.
• His “facade” comment sparked discussion online.
• Imtiaz praised Deepika’s acting and professionalism.

Bollywood director Imtiaz Ali has addressed the controversy around his recent comments on actor Deepika Padukone. The filmmaker clarified his statement after a remark he made during an interview drew attention online.

Imtiaz had spoken about Deepika while promoting his upcoming period romantic drama Main Vaapas Aaunga. During the conversation, he recalled how Deepika was cast as Veronica in Homi Adajania’s 2012 romantic comedy Cocktail, which was written by Imtiaz.

He had said that Deepika had a “good girl” image at the time but that he knew she had a different side to her personality. His use of the word “facade” became widely discussed on social media.

On Monday night (25), Imtiaz posted a clarification on his Instagram Stories. He shared a heartfelt message for Deepika and explained that he never intended to insult her.

“My dearest and loveliest @deepikapadukone you are my pal, my buddy, my safe option for humour, I think you will never misunderstand my wannabe fun remarks because you, more than anyone else, know how much I love you, appreciate you… but I have been told you might misunderstand and be hurt, so I am telling you, please don’t,” he wrote.

He added, “To be mean to you iss janam mein toh possible nahi hai (is not possible at all in this lifetime)… I never thought I would write such a disclaimer to you, but it’s been a while and I didn’t want to take a chance. Wish you the best and love always.”

A screenshot of Imtiaz Ali's Instagram story.Instagram/@imtiazaliofficial

Imtiaz shared the note along with a video clip from the interview in which he made the original remarks about Deepika.

In the earlier interview with News18, Imtiaz had recalled the casting process for Cocktail. He said producer Dinesh Vijan and director Homi Adajania first approached Deepika for the role of Meera, the soft-spoken girl-next-door character that was later played by Diana Penty.

However, when Deepika called him for advice, Imtiaz suggested she play Veronica instead. Veronica was a bold, rebellious, and carefree party girl, very different from the public image Deepika had at the time.

“Veronica is so different from what Deepika’s image was at that point of time. But since I had been in the room and attended parties with her, I know how crazy and wild she can be, even though she was otherwise projecting a very ‘good girl’ image at that time. Now, people have seen through the facade. So, I thought it would be quite a new thing for Deepika to do. I knew that emotional ground exists, so that was exciting,” he argued.

Deepika made her acting debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Farah Khan’s 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Om. She played the role of the graceful actor Shantipriya, and that image remained closely linked to her in the early years of her career.

Cocktail became a turning point for Deepika. Her performance as Veronica received praise and showed a very different side of her acting abilities.

Imtiaz Ali has often praised Deepika in past interviews as well. Two years ago, during an interview with Connect FM Canada, he was asked to choose between Deepika’s performance in Cocktail and Kareena Kapoor’s performance in Jab We Met. He admitted it was a difficult choice but eventually chose Kareena’s role “because I was the director”.

Imtiaz later worked with Deepika again in the 2015 film Tamasha.

In another interview shared by Every Friday Movie, Imtiaz described Deepika as a “wonderful actor”. He also praised her professionalism on set.

“I feel so comfortable when she is on set. She is the easiest to work with, she gets ready the fastest, much before any co-actor,” he said.

He added that the “amazing” actor takes “no time to get going” even during simple scenes.

In 2022, as Deepika completed 15 years in the Hindi film industry, Imtiaz also praised her growth as an actor.

“As an actress, people didn’t think she was good. I remember very well that my choice of her, even as late as Love Aaj Kal, was doubted. She was supposed to be beautiful, pretty but not a good actor. She has changed that over the years,” he said.