Deepika Padukone, who made her Hollywood debut in 2017 with Vin Diesel’s XXX: Return of Xander Cage, said during an interaction recently that she wanted to enter Hollywood on her own terms without falling into the expectations.

Speaking at the CNBC TV's Global Leadership Summit alongside designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee on Friday evening, the 38-year-old actor said she has personally experienced the "cliches" that often shape Western perceptions of India - from casting biases to comments on her accent and skin tone.

Deepika said, "It’s very deliberate... I was very clear about taking India to the world, but the India that I know. For example, moving to Hollywood and getting into that industry, or doing it in an way that has been expected of us or suits a global audience was something I never wanted to do, even if it took longer.”

She added, “I think what bothered me every time I went to the West was this sort of idea of India they have. It is so different from the country that I know. I have experienced all those cliches firsthand, whether it has to do with casting, our accent or the colour of my skin. I was clear that I wanted to do it my way and on my terms.”

After her Hollywood debut in 2017, she has been a regular fixture at major international events from serving on the competition jury at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in 2022 to unveiling trophies at the FIFA World Cup final in Qatar the same year.

On the work front, the actor was last seen in Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again, which came out in 2024. She will be next in Siddharth Anand’s King, alongside Shah Rukh Khan.