Bollywood star Deepika Padukone on Tuesday (June 10) celebrated her father, legendary badminton player Prakash Padukone's 70th birthday in style. The actor announced that their Padukone School of Badminton (PSB) will expand to "75 centres" within a year of its launch.
Deepika Padukone said the school, which was launched last year, aims to build a healthier and focused generation that's inspired by sport.
The actor, who is the daughter of the legendary badminton player Prakash Padukone, shared the news in an Instagram post.
"As someone who grew up playing badminton, I've experienced firsthand how much this sport can shape one's life - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Through Padukone School of Badminton (PSB), we hope to bring the joy and discipline of Badminton to people from all walks of life, and build a generation that is healthier, more focused, and inspired by sport," she wrote.
While Deepika Padukone serves as the founder of PSB, her father Prakash Padukone is on board as its mentor and adviser.
According to her post, the PSB plans to scale to 100 centres by the end of this year and 250 within the next three years.
In the past, the 39-year-old actor has often spoken about playing badminton in her growing up years in multiple interviews.
"I remember that one morning she woke up and she said, 'Ma, I have been thinking about this for a long time now. I have been playing badminton only Papa wants me to but it's not something that I enjoy doing and I seriously want to take up modeling and get into movies.' I didn't take her seriously and then she said, 'I have been thinking about this for the past couple of nights. You wait and see, I will make you proud one day'," she had said.
Deepika Padukone became a model doing advertisements and music videos. She eventually made her film debut in 2007 with Om Shanti Om, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan.
The actor also runs The Live Love Laugh Foundation, a non-profit organisation aimed at mental health awareness and wellness. She was recently in news for her reported exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit following a fallout with the director over work hours and remuneration.
Deepika Padukone last week joined her Jawan director Atlee's upcoming big-budget sci-fi movie with Pushpa star Allu Arjun.
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