TO INFINITY & BEYOND

“I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP PEACEFULLY AT NIGHT, EVERY NIGHT.” What gives Deepika Padukone the satisfaction of a day well spent? It’s not the fact that she is the highest-paid female actor in Indian cinema; that she was on TIME magazine’s list of 100 most influential people, along with Rihanna and Meghan Markle; that she’s the country’s second most popular celebrity endorser; or that she communicates daily with 38.9 million followers on Instagram. It should be enough—but it isn’t. Because what Deepika Padukone wants most is to change the world. “I’m at a place today where I want to do things that are meaningful. If I’m not creating impact then what am I doing?”

She doesn’t have to worry about that, though. Through honest and). And as a producer now, she’s choosing to tell stories that matter—her upcoming maiden film , directed by Meghna Gulzar, is based on the acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal.