10/10 For Guessing This Actress Who Pursued Acting Because Of Dev Anand

Deepshikha Nagpal is a popular face in the TV and film industry. You might remember her from Shah Rukh Khan’s film, Baadshah, which also featured Twinkle Khanna, Rakhee Gulzar and Johny Lever. Did you know that her journey into the world of acting was inspired by the legendary star, Dev Anand? It was he who encouraged her to pursue acting.

The Son Pari actress’s family was deeply rooted in cinema. In an interview, she had once revealed, “My family, especially my maternal grandfather, was already a part of the film industry. Since the era of silent films, my maternal grandfather has given opportunities to legends like Dada Muni (Ashok Kumar) and Mehmood. My mother was an actress in Gujarati films and my father was a director, writer and actor. Veteran actor Dev Anand was looking for girls for his film and my mother took me and my sister to meet him."

She mentioned that she was quite shocked to learn that the Guide actor wanted to sign her up for a role in the film instead of her sister, who aspired to become an actress. She said, “I turned down Dev Anand’s offer because acting was never my dream. I wanted to become Miss India or a fashion designer, but Dev Sahab kept trying and finally convinced me to work with him."

Deepshikha Nagpal recalled the time she spent with the late star who said, “Deepshikha, work with me and if you don’t want to, don’t work with anyone else." She finally agreed and insisted that her sister should be roped in as well.

The actress marked her debut with the 1994 film Gangster. She believed it to be her first and last film, but little did she expect that her performance would catch hold of the audience and others in the film fraternity. Soon, she was compared to actress Parveen Babi and she began to enjoy her journey in the glam world.

In the same interview, she revealed that she was offered a role in Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan-starrer, Karan Arjun. But she turned it down and regretted it but she was busy shooting for Gangster. She shared that she then turned from films to television after her marriage. She participated in Maureen Wadia’s Gladrags Mrs India contest in 2003 and was the first runner-up. She also won the title of Kohinoor Woman of the Year. Despite missing out on the chance to star in a big-banner film, she believes that everything happens for a reason.