Days before she returns to the Cannes Film Festival, this time as a member of the main jury, Bollywood star Deepika Padukone has been named “House Ambassador” by storied French label Louis Vuitton. Padukone, one of the biggest stars in India, is the first from her country to be given the title, joining the likes of Hollywood stars Emma Stone, Alicia Vikander, Lea Seydoux and Sophie Turner.
Deepika said “When you’re 18 and have just started earning, you don’t even bother looking into a Louis Vuitton store when you walk past it because you know you’re never going to be able to afford it,” Padukone tells Vogue India following the announcement. “There are some things that are aspirational and then there are some things that are just completely out of your orbit. My association with Louis Vuitton is the latter.
“I’m a very practical, pragmatic person in reality, but I keep having to pinch myself because I can’t believe this is real. And it speaks to the kind of diversity I hope to see in the future.”
The actress, 36, is also the cover star of Vogue India‘s May issue, in which the magazine calls her “the most influential actor in the Indian film industry right now”.
In the accompanying interview, she talks about her fears of being written off when she first started in the entertainment industry.
“Coming from a sports background meant I did not have a natural inroad into Bollywood. My South Indian accent was also frowned upon,” Padukone, a former model and the daughter of Indian badminton star Prakash Padukone, tells the magazine.
