Women’s Day: Deepika Padukone reveals the woman who inspires her the most

By Deepika Padukone

Actor Deepika Padukone says it is hard to overstate her mother Ujjala Padukone’s influence in her life — and her gratitude for it

Women can play an influential role in the lives of other women in numerous ways.


My life, as I’m sure is the case with most of us, is enriched by the influence of many special women who are friends, role models, inspirational figures we all admire from a distance, and so on. I certainly hope to write about some of them another time but, on this Women’s Day, I thought I’ll tell the world a bit about the woman who has played the biggest role in my life and has done so literally from the moment I was born — my mother.

I have never known my mother to not place the needs of her family first — whether it was for my dad during his playing days, or later for her children’s education and upbringing. It’s not uncommon for Indian mothers, but when you reflect on it, it’s truly incredible.

Today, there might be people who judge this choice, but it was her choice and she derived great happiness from it, even as we as children did many things that must have exasperated her. We have different opinions on all kinds of things, as mothers and daughters tend to, but I deeply respect her choices, and feel immensely grateful to have had her as a solid pillar of support throughout my life.

My mother was not just a homemaker. She worked as a professional in the travel industry. She was with Air India initially. Later she worked at a travel agency and then another company as well. At one point, she started working from home to accommodate her family’s needs and then she thought she had worked enough.

She just wanted to stay home and do things for herself and others. It would be hard to overstate her influence in my life. In fact, all of my friends’ mothers — the ones we grew up calling aunties — have been a huge influence on my life. I grew up in an apartment in Bengaluru.

Three-four of us kids grew up together and remain close friends. In fact, they are the only friends I still have. All our mothers played a big role in our lives — in shaping our attitudes and who we grew up to become. At that age, you don’t realise the kind of influence these mothers have on you. But as an adult, when you think back, the way we have been brought up is incredible.

The dedication these mothers poured into life — juggling work and homes, and raising aware, intelligent children — is awe-inspiring. One can endlessly argue whether that was their choice or whether society had placed that expectation on them. I consider it our good fortune to have been raised by these mothers and I have huge amounts of love and respect for them all.

I have come across so many other inspiring women, like Sudha Murty and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. My sister and I practically grew up in front of Kiran. We now look up to her for the way she conducts herself and for her mind. What an incredible woman! We are really fortunate that we can just pick up the phone and call her for advice.

On this Women’s Day, my wish is that more women are able to make their own life choices, and that the world becomes a better place through those choices.


(As told to G Seetharaman)