Deepika and Shah Rukh Khan at the event
Deepika Padukone's stellar cameo in Jawan has a separate fan base. In the film, Deepika plays Aishwarya, Vikram Rathod aka Shah Rukh Khan's wife. Her special appearance won millions of hearts. For the actress, the response has been “overwhelming.” At Jawan's press meet in Mumbai on Friday, Deepika revealed that she took up the role because of her love for Shah Rukh Khan. However, SRK jokingly said that they were successful in fooling Deepika that she had a small role in the film. The superstar said, “Deepika is feeling the most awkward here. I'll tell you why because she feels ‘mai toh yeh dosti mai chota sa role karne aa gayi thi but between me and Atlee, we fooled her and shot a full-length film with her. She has not even realised. When she saw the film, she was like oh I am one of the main characters…she didn't even know. So she is very awkward sitting here. But Thank you, Deepika from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this film.”
Talking about the response from fans to the Jawan cameo, Deepika Padukone said, “All of it has been overwhelming. I am now discovering that I was fooled and conned. I was shooting for Project K in Hyderabad, and both of them [Shah Rukh Khan and Atlee] flew down to come and see me. They narrated the whole story to me, and told me that this very important part of Aishwarya. For me, it wasn't about the length of the role, it was the impact this character was going to have on the entire film. So for me it was twofold… one is everyone knows my love for him [Shah Rukh Khan] you know whatever he wants, I'll always be there. But also the movie was so so special that… any actor if they were offered this part, they would say yes to it. Because it was about the vision. Everyone here has invested in that vision, no matter how big or small the role was.”
Jawan marks Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's fifth project together. Deepika Padukone made her Bollywood debut alongside Shah Rukh Khan in the 2007 film Om Shanti Om. The two actors went on to co-star in Happy New Year, Chennai Express and Pathaan. All four projects ended up being a commercial success.
On her camaraderie with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone said, “When Shah Rukh and I are working together, we are not co-stars, it's not formal. There is just lots of love and I think that's what always comes through in our work.”