Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani once directed Deepika Padukone, helped her land her debut film: ‘She had the height, the looks, the screen presence’ |

Although most people are aware of this Deepika Padukone she made her debut in Hindi cinema with ‘Om Shanti Om’, her first film was 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 spoke about discovering the future star and casting her in his 2006 film, recalling how her confidence and screen presence stood out from the first meeting.Lankesh shared that he had been looking for a new 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 to IANS. The filmmaker revealed that their first meeting was arranged by Pooja Dadlani, who was then managing Deepika and now Shah Rukh Khanmanager of According to Lankesh, the casting happened almost immediately, even before they had sat down properly to discuss the project.“We met in an elevator, and I started narrating the story. I had barely said two lines when she was convinced. That’s how Deepika cast Aishwarya. She already had the confidence. I just created an environment where she could act fearlessly,” he said.Lankesh also recalled recognizing Deepika’s potential long before she became an international star. He said her personality and determination convinced him she was destined for great success.“He had the height, the looks, the screen presence and, most importantly, the hunger to prove himself. I told him he was going to be a Hollywood star one day. Years later, when I was working 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 started work on ‘Om Shanti Om’ while shooting for ‘Aishwarya’. According to him, Shah Rukh Khan cast her in her Bollywood debut only after ‘Aishwarya’ completed a successful 100-day theatrical run.‘Aishwarya’ starred Upendra, Deepika and Daisy Bopannaand was the official remake of the 2002 Telugu film ‘Manmadhudu’.