![](https://highonpersona.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/saif-insta-size-jpg..jpg".")
Deepshikha Deshmukh: I want to empower women by giving them more opportunities
Share
Apparently, she looks petite, dainty, and fragile but the facade is often misleading and this holds true in the context of Deepshikha Deshmukh, as apparently, she looks so fragile, petite, and endearing bur underneath her tender personality resides a formidable producer of Bollywood. She sheerly dominates the fiefdom of Bollywood and has been bringing out multi starrer movies, even during the phase of the pandemic in 2020 she kept the momentum going. She not only finished the entire shoot of her film “Bellbottom” but took the entire cast and crew to Scotland. The year 2021 looks choco block for this multitalented woman as she has a lot to offer to the entertainment industry. Her lineup of future projects is brimming with innumerable off-beat movies with megastars of Bollywood like Akshay Kumar, Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta Bhupathi, Huma Qureshi, and Tiger Shroff. While she carries forward the legacy of Vashu Bhagnani her own aura is enhanced by entrepreneurial flair and inventiveness. International women’s day remains a special occasion for her and she feels dedicated to raising women-centric issues through her current line of projects.
High on Persona spoke to this eager beaver producer of Bollywood on issues and matters of concern.
Q. What does Women’s day mean to you and what is your idea of spending a perfect women’s day and how much do you celebrate the spirit of the day?
For me, every day is Women’s Day. I think we need to celebrate women every single day because they do so much more than men and juggle so many diverse roles with supreme ease. But if you insist then sure, everyone in the family should pamper the woman in their lives on Women’s Day and make her feel extra special and valued. We however need to go beyond niceties and do more to make the world a kinder, safer place for all women. We deserve far more than just a few gestures on certain days. Equality in all aspects of life is still hard to come by so let us all at least aspire to make that dream a reality.
View this post on Instagram
Q. Who is your favorite idol (Woman) and why?
Kamala Harris, because she has shattered so many glass ceilings, and not just broken them! She is the first woman Vice President of the US. She is multi-racial, and her stand on healthcare, inclusion, equality, and a lot more is really inspiring. I really look up to her. She has so much positivity, confidence and she is so articulate. I cannot begin to imagine how many young girls she may have inspired already to dream big.
Q. Burning questions that you would want to raise on women’s day for women?
I think women must not allow themselves to be silenced. They must always claim their right to speak and raise issues that matter to them. And to the women who do not have a voice, I would say, own your thoughts, your power and never play small. Please stand up for yourself even when nobody does. I know a lot of women regardless of who they are or the roles they play at home and at the workplace, they stay quiet when they are faced with an injustice. I would encourage every woman out there to speak their mind, take up space, articulate what they are going through because by doing so, they will empower others in the present and also set an example for future generations as well. Especially young girls who learn by emulating the behaviors they see around them.
Q. Any orthodox traditions/ stereotypes that you would like to break?
I think I have already broken one stereotype when I got married at the age of 27, which was very late for my generation, nine years ago. I got the right education, established myself professionally, tasted success and failure on my own before getting married. At work too, every day you break a new stereotype when you do things differently or when you lead from the front unapologetically.
Q. What kind of roadblocks did you face while starting in the field of entertainment?
I think I was fortunate that I started with a great subject like, ‘Sarbjit,’ which was also a woman-oriented theme and had so much emotional power that I was just fuelled by it to move ahead. The roadblocks for me were different because often you come across situations where people want to test you because you are young and not just because you are a certain gender. When you are new to any field you have to prove your mettle. I still have to helm more films and acquire more experience but I am getting there regardless of the odds. In a creative field, you deal with a challenge every day and you learn to cope without losing your head. Every day is a challenge and a triumph and you learn from each experience and move on to the next project and the next.
Q. How do you deal with hateful comments on social media?
I think with gratitude. Regardless of a positive or a negative message, I take it with gratitude in my stride. I have been however fortunate to get mostly positive messages on most of my social media platforms. I have learned to not focus on the negative ones and that makes life much easier because otherwise you are caught in a very bad trap where you react every time you hear something bad about your loved ones or yourself. We don’t need to engage with negativity as there is always enough of it out there. I would rather create joy and be a happy person than get affected by something that comes from a toxic place.
Q. How do you try to maintain a work-life balance?
We can always streamline our lives if we know what our priorities are instead of chasing balance which in any case means different things to different people. I think it is all about being organized, delegating, and prioritizing everything that really matters. If I am at my home, then my home is my priority, and if I am at work, then work is a priority. I compartmentalize my work and life so that they don’t clash. This balancing trick is one thing that I have learned from my dad who managed his work and his life without missing a beat. Like him, I don’t procrastinate and finish what needs to be done there and then so that there is no backlog the next day. You have to begin each day with a clean slate and not take the baggage of unresolved issues to a new day.
Q. A message you would want to share with upcoming women entrepreneurs?
The message I want to convey is that the world is yours so go forth and claim what is yours. You just need to decide what you want and then be single-minded about your goal. I think women can achieve everything they want with passion and a hundred percent commitment. There is nothing that women can’t do and I am not just saying this because I am a woman. I believe this because thanks to our innate emotional quotient, we bring so much more to business and to life. We can do so much with so little and all we need is the will to never give up. There will always be odds and many people will doubt you but what matters, in the end, is if you believe in yourself because that will decide whether you succeed or fail.
Movies on women empowerment that you like to watch
Well, there are so many films that I love for their empowering messages. ‘Fried Green Tomatoes,’ ‘Pink, Queen’, ‘Sarabjit’, which I produced, ‘Million Dollar Baby,’ ‘English Vinglish,’ ‘Erin Brockovich’ and so many more. I think for me, these films resonate because, in them, women shine as they take their life into their own hands, steer their destiny, and decide to carve their way out of tough spots.
Q. How do you plan to empower women in your field through your work?
By giving more opportunities to women, listening to them, and helping whenever and wherever I can. Every time I get a request on Instagram or on WhatsApp, I definitely make it a point to meet the person and find out what their issue is. I feel committed to give a chance to any woman who has the potential and needs an opportunity to shine in any creative aspect of filmmaking. Ultimately if they work hard, they will be recognized in their chosen field. Take Love Organically – my organic skincare venture which is run by an all-women team that is incredibly competent, smart, and creative and makes me proud every single day.
Be it my marketing, digital, sales, production, or PR team, they all have strong, capable, independent women and I am very proud of that fact. I am proud that somehow I have been able to bring together so many women, synergize with them, and co-create wonderful things.
Divya Khanna is the youngest member of the team, with a background in political science. She has joined High on persona print magazine in order to gain hands-on experience in various aspects of editorial coordination as associate editor of the magazine and news site. She has a penchant for writing and enjoys meeting new people and interviewing celebrities. She has a passion for writing, she has an eye for details, loves traveling, and a quick learner. She comes from the Mecca of Indian Journalism, Delhi.
Email: [email protected]
