Kissing scene was necessary for film: Deepika

Deepika Padukone speaks about 'Love Aaj Kal', Saif Ali Khan, controversies and love.

Four films old

"The journey has been wonderful. Everyone's way of acting, everyone's style of acting, everyone's approach, etc. has been wonderful. Two out of my four co-stars are also producers. Saif was very kind and polite. Somewhere the nawab in him came out because of his London education. He is a royal man and deserves everything royal."

Luck factor

"I hope I bring the same luck to Saif Ali Khan as I did to Shah Rukh Khan in 'Om Shanti Om'. 'Love Aaj Kal' will go down as one of the most special films for me, irrespective of what the outcome is and what people are going to think."

Compliment from Saif

"It's a huge compliment from Saif if he has compared me to Rani Mukherjee. Something like this is an honour coming from Saif. In fact, I have learnt a lot from him. The fact that he is so experienced and his style is so natural makes you want to work with him again. I really look up to that kind of a performance. I've been a big fan of his right from 'Dil Chahta Hai'."

Co-stars

"I don't feel any age difference. In fact I feel secure with my co-stars who are so experienced. It's great for someone like me who is so new and has absolutely no background from this industry. All my co-stars have been giving and supportive and that in turn has a tremendous role in the way I perform on screen."

On Imtiaz Ali

"Imtiaz Ali is a genius. He is so sensitive to people's performances and people in general. As an actor, I think it's nice to have a director who understands my approach to a scene. Saif and I are so different from each other as actors. It's nice to have a director who can bring that together on screen and get that good performance out of us."

Kareena controversy

"Whenever I was on the sets shooting, I didn't see Kareena anywhere near me. I don't know when she has come and when she has gone. She must've come when I had my days off, I hope. I'm sure she understands that it's not possible for a director to work with the same co-star again and again. It's great that you've had a hit film with a certain director. It's absolutely untrue that there is any sort of discomfort between the two of us or any form of negativity. She knows she is brilliant and she has done a great job in 'Jab We Met'. I guess Imtiaz was damn sure of whom he wanted to cast in 'Love Aaj Kal'."

Reel life to real life

"I'm a perfect blend of Love Aaj and Love Kal. I'm practical in real life though. As an actor when you do a film, two things can happen, either the role you're playing is very different from who you are in real life or it is very similar to the person you are off screen. It's spooky how similar Meera's character is to me in 'Love Aaj Kal'. I think 90% of the film and the way I react in certain situations is the way I'd in real life."