The Dadasaheb Phalke Award ceremony was held after a long span of time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and honoured the talented artists for their outstanding contribution to the Indian cinema.
The official Instagram account of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival announced the news of the winners. For the Padmaavat star, they wrote, “Celebrating the dedication you’ve shown on the way to this achievement. Congratulations to @deepikapadukone for winning the “Best Actress” award at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021. Team DPIFF wishes you the best for your future endeavors!!”
Deepika who played the protagonist in the film also marked her debut as a producer with this film. Helmed by director Meghna Gulzar, the film is based on the real-life acid attack survivor Laxmi, who at the age of 15, was attacked allegedly by a spurned lover in 2005. Laxmi had to undergo several surgeries. Later, she took up the job of helping acid attack survivors and promoted campaigns to stop such attacks. Laxmi is a well-known advocate of stricter punishments in acid attack cases.
Meanwhile, on the work front, she has committed to star alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday in Shakun Batra’s as-yet-untitled romantic drama. Padukone will also produce and star in a remake of the American comedy film The Intern and will team with Prabhas in the Pan-India film, helmed by Nag Ashwin. In November 2020, she began shooting alongside Shah Rukh Khan for YRF’s next project titled Pathan and is also set to star opposite Hrithik Roshan in Siddharth Anand’s Fighter, scheduled for release in September 2022.
