Deepika Padukone talks about her new Gujarat connect, her fashion statement and link-ups. In a few months you will be in Gujarat for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Ram Leela. The Gujarat shoot of Ram Leela starts in a couple of months. I have been to Gujarat for my movie promotions earlier, but this will be an interesting experience as we will shoot in the interiors. As I grew up with a lot of Gujaratis, I can speak Gujarati very well.

You have made shorts and hot pants look stylish more than anyone else has!
I have worn shorts only for my films. They are not my personal favorites. In real life, I love wearing sarees. I hope that women continue to wear them more often than they do today. I see a lot of young collegians wearing shorts. I feel girls should wear what makes them look good and not to make point or follow a fashion trend. Confidence matters more than having a great body. You should not look awkward when you are wearing a gown, a saree or hot pants.

As someone who's doing a lot of endorsements, do you feel a significant part of an actor's pay cheque comes from brand endorsement these days?
That's not true. While brand endorsements are a lucrative monetary option, you need to be committed when you sign up for one. One can't doing senseless/insensitive ads. They have a distinct recall value. If I am associated with a brand, it is important that the campaign translates into money for the advertisers. For me the creative satisfaction that I get from doing a film or an ad is the same.

Actresses have hardly much to do in a 100 crore film today. Would you like to be a part of 100 crore films or you would be happy doing a Cocktail?
Unfortunately the guys in Bollywood always walk away with the credit of a hit film. I can never do a meaningless role in a 100 crore film. Maybe other actresses can do such silly song and dance routine numbers in such films, but I would always prefer to do a Cocktail. I think I benefited a lot from Cocktail even if it was not a 100 crore film.

Your love life is a topic that everyone likes to speculate about. In fact your personal life gets talked about more than your work. Do you like that?
It does not affect me who I am romantically linked with because I know I am single and eventually I am living the life I know best. But a single girl is allowed to have male friends and share a good rapport with them. Unlike what people perceive of me, I'd love to be with someone who is simple, honest, interesting and makes me laugh. It took me time after my last breakup to start meeting other men. But one can easily fall in love again. Actors' love lives are open books now and if people want to speculate, I can't help it.

Do you feel that your link-up with Ranveer Singh might help Ram Leela?
They had started rumors linking me with many other actors before the release of other films. I don't know if it is a publicity gimmick but like I said before, I don't mind the speculation.