Deepika Padukone’s Silence on Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar… Calculated, Classy or Just Very Her?

By Sumita Chakraborty, Founder & Editor-in-chief, TheGlitz

I’ve known Deepika Padukone for a long time… from the very beginning… long before the superstardom, the global acclaim, the red carpets that now feel almost second skin to her. I was a rookie journalist working in one of India’s best women’s magazines ‘SAVVY. And Deepika Padukone was just started off on her starry journey.

Our First Cover

Deepika Padukone was 19.

We were sitting on the steps of ‘Actor Prepares’, Anupam Kher’s acting school – Deepika was studying acting there. But there was something striking about her even then… not just the obvious beauty, but the way she spoke. Articulate. Confident. Smart. She wasn’t trying to impress; she simply was.

At the time, she was already a top model… the face of Maybelline… and on the brink of her big debut in Om Shanti Om with Shah Rukh Khan under Farah Khan’s direction. The world was just about to discover her.

But that day, she was simply a young girl with stars in her eyes, big dreams, a dimpled smile and an even bigger sense of self.

Tall, leggy, and strikingly beautiful, she had that rare kind of presence you don’t quite forget. A porcelain complexion that caught the light, those unmistakable dimples that softened her otherwise statuesque poise… she looked every bit the star she was about to become.

And yet, what stood out even more was her mind.

She was measured, thoughtful, and deliberate… carefully answering my questions in a tone that was calm, composed and mature. But every now and then, just for a fleeting second, there it was… a tiny spark of sass. A quick glint in her eyes, a hint of mischief breaking through the guarded veneer.

It was subtle, but it was telling.

Because even then, beneath the grace and the grooming, you could sense a young woman who wasn’t just breathtakingly beautiful… but aware, intelligent, and frankly, quietly formidable.

I remember noticing a good-looking boy hovering around in the background. Quiet. Watchful. It was only later I realised it was Nihar Pandya… her rumoured boyfriend at the time. Even then, there was a sense of protectiveness around her, a quiet orbit of loyalty.

When the cover came out, she didn’t like the photograph. In fact, she was quite shaken – telling me I had ruined her career even before it started.

Of course, her career was anything but ruined.

If anything, it was just the beginning of a spectacular journey.

Months later, when I met her again, there was no trace of that moment… only grace. She greeted me warmly, spoke about fashion, about work, about life. That’s something about Deepika… you don’t carry past impressions with her. She evolves, and she allows you to see that evolution.

A few weeks later, I desperately emailed her that I needed an interview from her for our SAVVY Fashion & Glamour magazine. One day later, sure enough, her responses reached me with a salutation that said… “My responses in time”.

By then, she had already begun her ascent. She went on to do two more covers with me, each one reflecting a different phase of her journey. Stronger. More assured. More contained.

But the bigger she became, the entourage that comes with a superstar popped up too. There was a time when I reached out to her publicist for another cover interview – I thought Deepika was too big for me to message her, so I went through the PR channel – But I was met with a rather curt refusal from her PR. A bit shocked, I messaged Deepika directly.

She responded.

Promptly.

“Come meet me at Yash Raj,” she said.

And just like that, the door opened… not because of access, but because of who she is.

At the studio, she was older, sharper, still incredibly articulate. There was a certain aloofness now… a quiet distance that comes with fame… but beneath it, I could still sense that same girl. Loyal. Grounded. Real.

The third cover interview came at a more complicated time in her life. She was a superstar by then—but also a woman nursing a broken heart after her relationship with Ranbir Kapoor had ended. There were whispers, of course… about Ranveer Singh, about what might be unfolding.

But Deepika didn’t play into the noise.

She gave me that familiar dimpled smile, a slightly mischievous glint softening her otherwise composed exterior, and spoke generously about Ranbir… calling him a valued co-star, a friend.

Ranveer?

She chose silence.

And in that silence, I understood something profound about her.

Deepika Padukone guards her heart.

Her walls aren’t arrogance. They are protection. They are the quiet architecture of someone who feels deeply but reveals selectively. In a world that demands constant disclosure, she chooses dignity.

My First Cover As Stardust Editor

When I later became the Editor of Stardust, I wanted her for my first cover. I believed in that instinct. My mentor, Mr. Hira, supported me… but there were doubts from others. “We’ve tried for over a year,” someone said, dismissively. “It never happened.”

But I knew Deepika differently.

This was during Padmaavat, a time when Sanjay Leela Bhansali had reportedly asked his stars to avoid media interactions. I thought… this interview would not happen so turned to Vidya Balan, who very graciously agreed immediately to do the cover.

But then I got Deepika’s publicist’s call… Deepika will do the cover interview. And, Deepika spoke to me.

Despite her schedule, despite the pressure, despite the noise around her… she made time. Even when her PR tried to wrap up the already long interview – we had gone way past the allotted time – Deepika gently insisted on continuing. Not only that, she gave me the cover image from her own collection and reposted my first Stardust cover as Editor on instagram.

That moment stayed with me.

…Because it wasn’t about access. It was about character.

When Deepika Padukone Says Nothing on Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2 Success… It Speaks Volumes

… Today, when I hear conversations questioning why she doesn’t publicly celebrate her husband’s success or speak out more often about her personal life, I find myself quietly disagreeing.

Because I’ve seen her.

I know that Deepika doesn’t perform her emotions. She lives them.

What she feels for Ranveer Singh… I have no doubt she has expressed it, deeply and honestly… but in private, where it matters most. Not for headlines. Not for applause.

Deepika Padukone isn’t just a star. She’s a study in restraint, in resilience, in quiet strength.

From a 19-year-old sitting on the steps of an acting school, worried about a cover photo, to a global icon who chooses grace over noise… her journey isn’t just about success.

It’s about becoming.

And perhaps, that’s her real legacy.

Not just the roles she’s played… but the dignity with which she’s lived every chapter in between.