A famous daughter, and perhaps, a more accomplished father.
Prakash Padukone, one of India’s most celebrated sportspersons, would like to have more of his rather busy Bollywood daughter Deepika at home in Bengaluru.
“But given her busy schedule it is next to impossible to get her at home even for a few hours,” the senior Padukone told media over the weekend in Dubai.
Considered one of the greats of world badminton, Padukone was in the UAE to launch the tie-up of his Prakash Padukone Sport Management (PPSM) with Dubai-based Prime Star Sport Academy in creating professional badminton champions.
Prakash was the first player to achieve the ‘Grand Slam’ in badminton while winning the Swedish, Danish and All England titles in succession in 1980. He was ranked in the world’s top ten for close to a decade, and was touted as one of the few players capable of resisting the dominance of the Chinese and Indonesian badminton players.
Since making her debut in Om Shanti Om in 2007, Deepika has grown to be one of the most versatile Bollywood actresses through her successful performances in later blockbusters such as Cocktail, Chennai Express and Happy New Year. She is all set to make her Hollywood debut opposite Vin Diesel in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage.
A resident of Prabhadevi on the outskirts of Mumbai, Deepika is reported to share a close bond with her family, and visits them in Bengaluru whenever her busy schedule allows her to do so.
“Her visits are once in a way, and I wouldn’t expect her to spend time on court playing badminton whenever she comes to be with the family,” the Padukone said.
Deepika was an accomplished junior badminton player. But with her modelling and acting career taking over it was difficult for the star to find time for sports. “Once in a while she does like to play, but that is only if she gets the time. More than badminton she believes she can stay fit by going to the gym and working out,” he added.
