Deepika Padukone has seen her first Friday — and has not stopped smiling since. She was in the Capital for the first time after the release of Om Shanti Om for the launch of Kimaya’s store at Select Citywalk in Saket. She talked to GUNJAN SANGWAN and wondered, Bollywood-style, when told that she was hailed as the next big star. Excerpts:

Your film has got great reviews and your performance is being appreciated. How does it feel after the first Friday?
Well, to be really honest, I am really content. It is a great high to know that my hard work has paid off and the audience has loved me in the film. The very idea that the movie has been well received feels good.

Along with Om Shanti Om, Saawariya too was released with newcomers Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor — and you have come up trumps. How does it feel to be called the next big star?
Is that so? Am I the next big star? Well, we all gave our best and it is up to the audience to decide.

Are there any projects in the pipeline?
I am looking at a couple of scripts but haven’t signed anything right now.

Now, after a perfect debut, is there a dream role that you want to portray?
No, nothing of that sort. But I would definitely like to try my hand at comedy.

The rumours mill are running overtime about your affairs.
I am completely involved in my work and hardly have time for romance.

Shanti and Sandy met Shah Rukh, and, it seems neither of them would have to look back. Om Shanti Om’s box office success has now propelled Brand Deepika Padukone to the top league in the advertising/endorsement centrestage.

According to advertising gurus, the Bangalore-based model now commands a brand valuation of over Rs 80 lakh post-OSO. Deepika, who already had ace brands like Maybelline and Kingfisher to boast of, was earlier being paid in the range of Rs 15-20 lakh (per ad).

“Her brand valuation is now in the bracket of top actresses. If not the same, her valuation is close to top actresses in the industry,” says Pooja Dadlani, VP of Bling Entertainment, celebrity management agency for Deepika Padukone. However, she refused to comment on the industry estimates.

It’s the post-OSO euphoria that the ad world is cashing in on. “OSO’s marketing is unprecedented in the film world and its success has most definitely rubbed on Deepika. Cosmetics majors are keen on signing on a fresh face like Deepika and her valuation has shot up,” said Harish Bijoor, brand consultant.

Deepika’s lineage brings in another factor that seems to be catching the interest of the ad world — her illustrious father and badminton icon Prakash Padukone. “One is a legend, the other is a current day phenomenon. I would say it is still early days to start pairing Prakash and Deepika Padukone. Further up on the road they can be paired together. And, brands can tap into commonalties — father-daughter relationship, or the fact that they are both successful,” said JWT managing partner Dhunji S Wadia.

Deepika’s kitty of brand endorsements include Liril, Close-Up, Levi’s Strauss Signature, Limca and Maybelline. Kingfisher Airlines got recently added to her portfolio.

Her association with the ‘king of good times’ brand dates back to her appearance in the famous Kingfisher swimsuit calendar last year. According to sources, Kingfisher Airlines, which has signed three-year contract with Deepika Padukone, is said to have paid Rs 60-75 lakh per annum.