I've learnt focus, dedication from sports: Deepika Padukone

Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, who has gained immense success in the Hindi film industry, says her dedication and hard work comes from her background as a sportsperson.

Before venturing into the modelling and film world, Deepika used to play badminton. The daughter of celebrated badminton player Prakash Padukone, she has come on board for Nike's "Da Da Ding" campaign to fuel women's participation in sports.

"Everything I am today and everything I have achieved comes from my years of playing sport. My goals, my commitment, my focus, my dedication, my discipline, my sacrifices, my hard work. All of it, I've learnt it all through sport. Sports has also taught me how to handle failure and success. It has taught me how to fight and It has made me unstoppable," Padukone said in a statement.

In the "Da Da Ding" music video, Deepika and Indian hockey player Rani Rampal, alongside other leading Indian athletes - footballer Jyoti Ann Burrett and cricketers Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandana and Shubhlakshmi Sharma, urge India's next generation to define their own success by bringing sport into their lives.

"Coming from a small village never stopped me; every time I won a medal I kept getting stronger and more confident to take on the world," said Rampal, who in 2010 at the age of 15 became the youngest player in the national team.

The "Da Da Ding" campaign has been created in collaboration with Wieden+Kennedy India, and helmed by French director François Rousselet. The music is by Generation and features American rapper Gizzle.

It charts the rise of female sport across a diverse range, including basketball, football, running, training and the national obsession of cricket.

--IANS

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