Netting perfect scores with her films, Deepika Padukone talks about success, working with experienced stars and how sheis evolving as an actor

Race 2, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and now Chennai Express. Do you think that 2013 belongs to you?
I hope I live up to all the expectations. In the last one-and-a-half years, I had to sacrifice a lot, like my family life and personal time. But I don’t mind it because the end result is good. The kind of success I have got, courtesy my films, makes it all worthwhile.

Do you feel you are on the top right now?
I don’t think I am at the top and I hope I never start thinking that way either. Today someone is at the top, tomorrow someone else will take over. At the end of the day, it is important to be a part of good films. Most importantly, I want to be remembered as a good human being.

When you are working with a superstar like Shah Rukh Khan, do you feel apprehensive that he may overshadow you in the film?
No, not really; not with Shah Rukh for sure. He is Shah Rukh Khan, so all I can do is focus on giving my best to my character. He always says that I did a very good job in Om Shanti Om.

It took five years for the two of you to come together after Om Shanti Om.
There is a reason for it: Chennai Express is a very special film. And you have to wait for special films to happen.

What have you learnt from Shah Rukh?
He is extremely patient, loving. He has a beautiful aura around him. Whenever he walks in, his sheer presence makes you smile. He makes you feel special. And I will always have that special space for him in my heart because I started my career with him. Farah (Khan) and he saw something in me that nobody else did. While we were working together, he never made me feel that he was a big star and I was just a newcomer. A large part of why people liked me in OSO was because of the way he made me feel.

So after Chennai Express, are we going to see you both in Farha’s next venture Happy New Year?
I believe films choose me, I don’t choose films. And if it’s meant to be, it will happen.

Shah Rukh is twice your age and Ranbir is your age. How different are their working styles?
Shah Rukh has 25 years of experience, so when you are on a film set with him, the energy is a lot more confident. He knows what he is doing. Whereas actors like Ranbir and I started off together. We were slightly unsure, learning from every film of ours. Also, when I am working with SRK, the equation is a little more formal, there is respect et al but with someone of my age group, I can be very friendly.

We have heard that you are going to be working with Ranbir next in Imtiaz Ali’s film.
Am I, really?