Deepveer AT #4 (IO) - CC - Page 102

Sweetest was @RanveerOfficial, waiting with @deepikapadukone as she waited to greet people after they watched the film #xXxIndiaPremiere

By Sara Stewart

Hollywood actresses furiously personal train and pilates themselves into shape for a role, but Vin Diesel's new co-star has a different fitness regimen to thank: badminton.

"I did all the action myself," says Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone, speaking about her stunts with Diesel in "XXX: Return of Xander Cage." "It was easy because of my background: I was a national badminton player."

Padukone, 31, is the daughter of an internationally famous player of the tennis-like sport, and played the game herself in competitions in India through her teen years until she began moving into modeling and acting. But the athleticism of the game has stayed with her, says Padukone, who still plays for fun, although not competitively.

"It helped me achieve what they wanted me to do [on the set]," she says, "although I had to train with weapons as well."

Padukone, who grew up in Bangalore is a heavy-hitter in the Indian film biz; she's one of the top 10 highest-paid actresses in the world, according to Forbes magazine. She's also been a voice for female empowerment in a country that's been the source of much controversy over the abuse of women (feminist groups there are planning nationwide protests for Jan. 21, the same day as the Women's March on Washington).

As she moves into American film, Padukone says she's come to a surprising realization. "I always thought the issues we were dealing with were specific to the [Bollywood] industry. Until in the last couple of years, I've interacted with Hollywood actors " and the issues are really the same," she says. Among them: the scarcity of meaty roles for women and the chance to be portrayed on-screen as just as capable as a guy. Which is why, she says, she was so taken with the script for "XXX," and her role as a mysterious adversary " and possibly ally " of Diesel's character. (The Post has not yet been shown the film.)

I did all the action myself. It was easy because of my background: I was a national badminton player.

Her character Serena Unger, Padukone says, "can walk shoulder to shoulder with a man like Xander Cage. She's equally powerful, equally strong, equally funny. She can do her own thing, or she can lead a team. It's a huge departure from the way women have usually been portrayed in action films."

Padukone's following the path of another Bollywood actress who's become a household name here: one-time Miss World Priyanka Chopra, star of TV's "Quantico." As it turns out, the two are well-acquainted " but Padukone says she's not asking Chopra for tips on how to transition into Hollywood.

"The other day we happened to be on the same flight, and it gave us a little time to catch up," Padukone says. "We've been friends from even before I became an actor, when she was already Miss World and had done a bunch of movies. I've known her for many years, and we can sit and talk about anything. We didn't discuss work at all, actually!"

Besides, it's clear this badminton-playing badass doesn't need any advice on how to make it big.