( CNN ) -- She 's only 23 , but Deepika Padukone is already living a life millions would envy . From calendar model to Bollywood big-time : Deepika Padukone . The model-turned-actress was spotted in a music video and then cast in one of the biggest grossing films in Bollywood history . She still only has three movies under her belt , but star status has already been bestowed upon her . With no family connections to the film industry and not being from Mumbai , Padukone traveled a route to movie stardom millions could only dream of . After deciding to become a model at the age of 16 , she was picked out of a music video by acclaimed director Farah Khan and cast in her next film opposite Shahrukh Khan . `` Om Shanti Om '' went on to become not only a hit in India , but also gained wider acclaim among western audiences . `` I completely did n't expect it . When I met Farah I thought she was joking . And at that point it seemed too good to be true . Shahrukh is someone who I 've grown up watching , and I did n't think that I deserve being a part of such a huge film . It 's only later , when I met Shahrukh and when things actually started happening , when I realized that this is for real , '' she told CNN . Despite her meteoric rise to fame and work on some big budget films she believes she 's learning the job of being an A-list Bollywood actress . `` I had great debut , a successful film , but after that ... I would think it 's quite difficult to choose the right film . You never know what 's right and what 's wrong , '' she said . `` Things for me changed quite overnight , actually . I remember a couple of months before the film release , not too many people knew me . In November 2007 when my film released and immediately after that I had to travel to New York , to Dubai and to London , and suddenly everyone on the streets started recognizing me , especially the Indians . That 's when I realized that things have changed . '' With the public attention has come the inevitable media spotlight on her private life . She says she never experienced the `` casting couch '' but is consistently romantically linked with other Bollywood stars , and there were rumors about a relationship with Indian cricketer MS Dhoni . `` As someone who did n't know how to deal with it , yes it was really difficult for me initially to read about myself or to read about things that are untrue . But I think slowly you start learning to deal with these things . '' Padukone 's father was a professional badminton player , and she played too as a teenager , traveling across the country to compete in tournaments . But by her late teens she decided she wanted to be a model and got the full support of her parents . `` I trained , I lost some weight . I then got a portfolio done . I sent it to Bombay to a couple of agencies and waited for awhile . I think that period is really the most challenging . Because that 's really the time that one can really go wrong . The waiting period . You can really make some wrong decisions and go completely wrong , '' she told CNN . `` I had the support of my family . I did n't get carried away . I think I was patient enough to wait for the right assignment to come my way . '' As a model she appeared in commercials and music videos . Since her move into the movie business more commercial endorsements have come her way , but in an industry notorious for its high turnover of starlets she is aware that for actresses there is often a limited shelf-life . `` For me my life now is my work . But I know that at some point I will have to have a life beyond my work . And I know that today there 's me , tomorrow there will be someone else . Maybe I 'll be here for 5 years , maybe I 'll be here for many , many years . `` I 'm definitely going to work hard and make sure that I can be here for as long as I can , but I 'll also make sure that people do n't get bored of me . And ... yes , let 's see how it goes . ''
Padukone was picked out from a music video to star in `` Om Shanti Om '' 23-year-old began career as a model and has appeared in three movies so far . The film is based on the life of an Indian girl who became famous after she sang at her school talent show for which she won first prize.