It's official. Deepika Padukone is the new Number One. Over the past one year, she has been inching her way to the top. She delivered hits like Cocktail and Race 2 (she made an impact even in Desi Boyz and Housefull). And now she had delivered a monster hit: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.<br /><br />In her last few films, Deepika's performances have been appreciated. The improvement is huge. Also, her selection of films has been interesting. She has managed to act in two off-beat films (Karthik Calling Karthik and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey) at the same time she was doing hardcore masala films, a fine balancing act that. <br /><br />Sonam Kapoor, whose debut film released on the same day as Deepika's, has had nine releases so far while Dips' has had 16! Almost twice the number. While the number of films is hardly a benchmark, what is impressive is how this Bengaluru girl has managed to cross the age barrier. She is considered for a film with Salman Khan (Kick) and grabs SRK's Chennai Express while successfully pairing with younger heroes like Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan. She has worked with reputed filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali, Prakash Jha, Priyadarshan and Ashutosh Gowariker etc. <br /><br />But she didn't do it all on her own. She had some help from the actresses in the ruling position. Kareena got married last year, quickly graduating out of the rat race, like Kajol. Meanwhile, Katrina's last release (Jab Tak Hai Jaan) was a two-heroine film. She has films like Dhoom 3 and Bang Bang, which are no different from the ones she has been doing so far. She is intelligent enough to know it's time to leave those roles to younger actresses, and is turning producer next year. Which is perfect for Ms Padukone. If you need more argument why Deepika is in an enviable position today, read on...
