Deepika Padukone races to the top as top actress in Bollywood

It's official. Deepika Padukone is the ne
Number One. Over the past one year, she
has been inching her way to the top. She
delivered hits like Cocktail and Race 2
(she made an impact even in Desi Boyz
and Housefull). And now she had delivered a monster hit: Yeh Jawaani Ha
Deewani.

In her last few films, Deepika's
performances have been appreciated. Th
improvement is huge. Also, her selection
of films has been interesting. She has
managed to act in two off-beat films
(Karthik Calling Karthik and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey) at the same time she was
doing hardcore masala films, a fine
balancing act that.

Sonam Kapoor, whose debut film
released on the same day as Deepika's,
has had nine releases so far while Dips'
has had 16! Almost twice the number.
While the number of films is hardly a
benchmark, what is impressive is how this Bengaluru girl has managed to cross
the age barrier. She is considered for a
film with Salman Khan (Kick) and grabs
SRK's Chennai Express while successfully
pairing with younger heroes like Ranbir
Kapoor and Imran Khan. She has worked with reputed filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali,
Prakash Jha, Priyadarshan and Ashutosh
Gowariker etc.

But she didn't do it all on her own. She
had some help from the actresses in the
ruling position. Kareena got married last
year, quickly graduating out of the rat
race, like Kajol. Meanwhile, Katrina's last
release (Jab Tak Hai Jaan) was a two- heroine film. She has films like Dhoom 3
and Bang Bang, which are no different
from the ones she has been doing so far.
She is intelligent enough to know it's
time to leave those roles to younger
actresses, and is turning producer next year. Which is perfect for Ms
Padukone. If
you need more argument why Deepika is
in an enviable position today, read on...

The replacement theory: Katrina and
Kareena who have been hogging the No
position for the longest time are now in
their 30s. Fact: Bollywood retires
actresses on the wrong side of 29.
Deepika, in her 20s, is a younger option.

There has been a vacancy for the next-
best-thing since last year. Dippy has
nudged her way there. Kat was Akshay
Kumar's lucky mascot and then Deepika
did Chandni Chowk to China, Housefull 2
and Desi Boyz. Kareena may have the Khan surname but Deepika has Saif on-
screen (Love Aaj Kal, Cocktail and Race 2).

The Ranbir factor: Ranbir Kapoor is the
best thing to have happened to Bollywoo
in the last decade. Every production hous
and every filmmaker wants to work with
RK. Fortunately for Deepika, the
audiences love to see them together onscreen, so she will always be the first
default choice. Ranbir is destined for big
things, and Dips' filmi destiny is tied to
him. the bigger he gets, the bigger she
gets. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is just th
first step.

Hattrick time: What a year for Deepika.
Three of the films that Katrina Kaif
turned down — Yeh Jawaani Hai
Deewani, Chennai Express and Ram Leela
— came to Dips. YJHD has the rare
distinction of being the only romance fil to cross the Rs100-crore mark. And now
she has two more films — Chennai
Express and Ram Leela — which are big
on romance lined up for release in 2013.

Those still in denial about her position
now, will be lining up to herald her at the
new queen by the end of the year.