As actors, it is difficult to perform comedy, says Deepika Padukone

After debuting with a blockbuster Om Shanti Om in 2007, Deepika
Padukone has hardly lost the taste of success. With Race 2, Yeh
Jawaani Hai Deewani and now Chennai Express striking gold at the box
office this year, one of Bollywood's star actresses says success is
nothing but "relative".

Is it her year at the box office?

"If people are saying it's my year, it
depends on my films," Deepika said.

"I think these things are relative. It feels
nice to hear or to read about it. But, more importantly, I have been
working really hard. I know I have pushed myself and sacrificed a lot
of personal and family time. But in the end if the result is like
this, you don't mind. But, yes, I think success is relative," she
added.

Deepika's Chennai Express, featuring her Om Shanti Om co-star Shah
Rukh Khan seems to be on its way to breaking records at the box
office. The film released on Thursday (August 8, 2013) to a roaring
opening day response.

The more the success, the tougher it gets to keep up to it, believes
Deepika, who made a rare successful transition from modelling to
filmdom.

"I have to focus all my energies and hope that the next film is
better. It does not get easier to live up to all of that. I want that
with every film, the love, success and experience increase," said the
27-year-old daughter of former national badminton champion Prakash
Padukone.

In her over five-year-long film career, the actress has been a part of
various movie genres - thriller, romance, action, drama and comedy.
She finds comedy the toughest.

"Comedy is the most difficult. Comic timing is something which you
either have it in you, or you don't. You have to have a good sense of
humour to be able to understand it. A split second can make you lose
the punch.

"As actors, it is very difficult to perform it the same way every
time, for the audience to find it funny," she said.

Yet, she seems to have given it a shot for Chennai Express, directed
by the new age master of Bollywood comedies, Rohit Shetty. In the
past, he has made the Golmaal series and comic hit Bol Bachchan.

How was it working with him?

"I believe that he has his own school and style. It was a new style
for me. His way of taking shots and directing his actors is different.
He always had everything planned," she said.

But he gave her enough room to try to
improvise on her character named Meena in Chennai Express.

"It was tough for me as I had to speak in a Tamil accent. With your
director, you can also discuss and say that you feel like doing this
(a certain thing). And if it works for the scene, then you do it," she
said.

Working with Shah Rukh again was also a pleasant experience as she
feels nothing about him has changed.

"He is still as caring, loving, charming,
giving and protective. For me, there was no difference from Om Shanti
Om. Even though it took us five years to come back
(in a film), we were always in touch," she said.