Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan on insider-outsider debate; she recalls landing Om Shanti Om without audition: 'I never thought I was an outsider'

Bollywood icons Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone came together for a powerful conversation at the ongoing World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit 2025 (WAVES) in Mumbai on navigating the film industry. During a panel discussion titled The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler, moderated by Karan Johar, the duo delved into their beginnings, the idea of being an 'outsider,' and how belief, not background, shaped their paths.
Addressing the widely debated industry binary, Deepika dismissed the idea that she ever truly felt like she didn’t belong. “These are terms we seem to be discussing now — insider, outsider. When I began, it was just a new world. I never felt like I was an outsider trying to make my place in a new industry,” she said. “I had the dedication, I had the passion, I had the determination, the hard work. Those were the things in my control. And those were the things that I applied to what I was passionate about.”
Shah Rukh Khan, who is often hailed as Bollywood’s ultimate outsider-turned-superstar, nodded in agreement. Reminiscing about his early days, he added, “Jab main yahan (Mumbai) aaya tha, I never thought ki main outsider hoon iss liye main iss duniya ka hissa nahi ban sakta... I believed this is my world... Mujhe laga yeh duniya meri hai... yeh jagah meri hai.”
Deepika Padukone reveals she bagged Om Shanti Om without an audition
As the conversation turned nostalgic, Deepika reflected on her own Bollywood debut, a role that became iconic overnight. Cast opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Farah Khan’s 2007 reincarnation drama Om Shanti Om, Deepika revealed she was just 16 or 17 when she moved from Bangalore to Mumbai and got the part, without even giving an audition.

“Farah Khan showed interest in casting me in a movie. I was transitioning between Bangalore and Mumbai at the time. I remember doing a meeting with her once. For me, it just happened because I was a model before that. They’d seen some of my work,” she shared.

She recalled Shah Rukh being away in Australia shooting for Chak De! India when initial meetings for the film took place. “I was a young girl, completely new to this world, but everything aligned.”