Homi Adajania-directed Cocktail broke Deepika Padukone's string of flops, and her character of Veronica was loved by the masses and the critics.
In 2007, Deepika Padukone debuted in Bollywood with Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om. The actress got the perfect launchpad by playing Shantipriya in Farah Khan's directorial to perfection. However, in the next few years, Deepika struggled to find a clean hit. Except for Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Housefull (2010), Deepika starred in huge box office disasters, including Chandni Chowk to China (2009), Karthik Calling Karthik (2010), Break Ke Baad (2010), and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010). Lafangey Parindey (2010) was a below-average grosser but still, it didn't help her career. Deepika's strive for superhit ended with a film, which was rejected by big stars.
The film that ended Deepika's dry spell at the box office was...
Cocktail, Homi Adajania-directed, Saif Ali Khan, Diana Penty-starrer proved to be the breakthrough film of Deepika's career. In the romantic comedy, Deepika plays Veronica Melaney, a carefree, free-spirited girl, who's deep down emotional about her friends. Veronica becomes a bridge between Gautam Kapoor (Saif) and Meera Saini (Diana) and ends up being a giving character. Released in cinemas on July 13, 2012, Cocktail had an excellent opening of 75–80% on average at multiplexes and had bumper opening at many multiplexes in North India at around 100%. The movie grossed Rs 125 crores over a reported budget of Rs 35 crores, and become one of the highest-grossing films of 2012. Apart from chartbuster music, and an interesting take on love and relationships, it was Deepika's performance as Veronica that became a highlight of the film.
Cocktail was originally offered to...
As per media reports, not Deepika Padukone, but Priyanka Chopra was considered for Cocktail. However, due to creative differences, Priyanka rejected the film, and Deepika replaced her. As per another media report, Imran Khan and Ranbir Kapoor were offered the film, but they did not like the script, and that's how Saif came on board, and he even decided to produce the film.
How Imtiaz Ali's suggestion changed Deepika's fate
Deepika was offered both characters, Meera and Veronica. Deepika thought she would be perfect for playing Meera. However, Imitaz Ali, who was the writer of the film, called Deepika, and asked her to read Veronica. Imtiaz insisted that she should play Veronica, and after giving it a thought, Deepika agreed to play Veronica.
Deepika Padukone on Cocktail
In 2022, when Cocktail clocked 9 years, Deepika said in an interview that Veronica impacted her personally and professionally. She said, "I’ve always believed that while you put a little part of yourself in every character you play, you also carry a part of that character with you forever. And therefore, Veronica will always be one of the most special characters I’ve played on screen; one that changed a lot for me professionally and impacted me personally." On the work front, Deepika was last seen in Fighter.
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 "Deepika Paudkone in Cocktail")
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