Deepika Padukone's connection

The churn at the box office has thrown up a formidable brand ambassador for Anupam Kher's acting school Actor Prepares. Having successfully walked the ramp as a supermodel, Deepika Padukone -- with a riveting performance in Om Shanti Om -- has now been acknowledged as the find of the season according to an industry consensus.

But the news has special significance for Anupam Kher as the hottest debutante Deepika, is a product of Mr Kher's school.

She was a student in his second batch ( June-August 2005 ) and Kher remembers her as a diligent learner. "She came with the reputation of being a successful model, yet she never had any airs about herself. She realized that film was a new medium and she slogged tirelessly to understand, and emerge, on top of the heap," says Kher, visibly proud of his protg. Do we hear other models knocking on Mr Kher's door asking him to do a Padukone on them as well??