Cocktail is one of my favourite films and despite watching it several times, it still manages to entertain and evoke emotions just like it did when I watched it for the very first time. The film completed 9 years today, and Deepika Padukone went down memory lane and spoke about how Veronica’s character still remains close to her heart and how it opened up a wide range of opportunities for her.
Cocktail helmed by Homi Adjani featured Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty in the lead roles. This film marked Diana Penty’s big Bollywood debut and her hook step from the song, Tumhi ho Bandhu went viral! In a recent interview, Deepika revealed that when she first read the script for Cocktail, she had butterflies in her tummy as she believed that her personality is quite different from that of her on-screen character, Veronica.
Speaking about the film, Deepika shares-
I’ve always believed while you put a little part of yourself in every character you play, you also carry a part of that character with you forever. Veronica will always be one of the most special characters I’ve played; one that changed a lot for me professionally and impacted me personally.
When I was given the script to read I assumed it was for Meera’s character (played by Penty). Imtiaz Ali called me up one day and requested me to re-read the script for Veronica. After a couple of days and giving it some thought, I understood what he meant and saw what he saw. While I had butterflies in my tummy, I also knew I was ready for it.
I don’t think I would have been able to do what I did if it wasn’t for Homi Adajania. He gave me wings to fly and made me believe I could do no wrong. With that belief, we were able to create a character that will live in our hearts forever
Cocktail will always have a special place in my heart and Veronica will remain my favourite character from the film. On the work front, Deepika Padukone has films like Fighter with Hrithik Roshan, The Intern remake with Amitabh Bachchan, Pathan with Shah Rukh Khan, and also a special role in Ranveer Singh starrer ’83.