Deepika Padukone's phenomenal rise to global stardom continues. The actress has just begun October with two high-profile magazine covers and another major brand endorsement.
Padukone, 36, is the cover star of Vogue Arabia's October issue, featuring in a glamorous photo shoot in Hatta, Dubai.
In the shoot, Padukone wears striking looks by Arab designers as well as by Louis Vuitton, for which she was named brand ambassador in May. She is the first Indian to be chosen as the face of the storied French fashion house, joining the likes of Hollywood stars Emma Stone, Alicia Vikander, Lea Seydoux and Sophie Turner.
"It’s been 15 years since Padukone made her Bollywood debut, and she remains at the top of her game," Vogue Arabia says in its profile.
"But in tandem with her spectacular success, Padukone adds her name to a list of celebrities who prioritise self-care and downtime as much as they do their career trajectory."
The former model and badminton player has won numerous awards for the Live Love Laugh Foundation, an organisation she founded to destigmatise mental health issues and raise awareness. It also runs a free counselling service and trains primary care physicians to better identify and treat mental health conditions.
"I think that my experience with mental illness has brought me to this space today. I prioritise my mind and my body over everything else. Did it take an illness to bring me to that level of awareness? Yes. But I guess that’s what it is. Sometimes you need to go through those experiences to really come out of something having learned something,” she tells Vogue Arabia.
The actress is also on the front of The Business of Fashion magazine for October, one of eight cover stars including top movers and shakers in the fashion industry.
The set of covers, to celebrate The BoF 500 list for 2022, includes plus-size model Paloma Elsesser, TikTok star Khaby Lame and Malaysian modest fashion entrepreneur Vivy Yusof.
The BoF 500 is an annual list that profiles people who've made a major impact in the field of fashion. Padukone has been on the list since 2019, the magazine said.
"When Louis Vuitton celebrity ambassadors Jennifer Connelly, Lea Seydoux and Alicia Vikander appeared at the Cannes Film Festival in May, one of the year’s most important marketing moments for global luxury brands, hundreds of photographers captured their every move — and outfit. But the brand’s biggest red carpet bang in Cannes came from its first global ambassador from India, Deepika Padukone," writes BoF editor-in-chief Imran Amed.
"Though she remains relatively unknown in the West, Padukone is the most popular actress in India’s wildly popular Hindi film industry, ranking at the top of an India Today poll for the seventh year in a row. In the last 18 months, she has cemented her status as India’s most powerful global fashion ambassador in a flurry of brand endorsement deals. First there was Levi Strauss and Adidas, then Louis Vuitton, and now, Cartier in rapid succession."
On Monday, Padukone, who is married to fellow Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, was named the latest ambassador for luxury French jewellery and watch brand Cartier. While making the announcement, a statement from the house described her as "a true representation of the encounter of opposites that so deeply define the Cartier spirit".
"Padukone is a voice of global resonance which remains true to its roots, constantly balancing modernity and tradition," Cartier said, while also praising her work for mental health.
“As an inspiring actress and committed philanthropist, Deepika embodies the maison’s spirit and values of celebrating creativity, universality and open-mindedness," said Arnaud Carrez, Cartier’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
On the work front, Padukone will next be seen in Pathaan, alongside Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and actor John Abraham. Directed by Siddharth Anand, she is set to play an intelligence officer in the high-octane thriller that was partly shot in Dubai.
Deepika Padukone's style evolution in 33 photos: from Bollywood queen to global superstar — in pictures
