Bollywood beauty, Deepika Padukone, was recently presented with the award for ‘Sexiest Female’ at Cosmopolitan magazine’s coveted Fun, Fearless Female Awards in Mumbai on 21 December 2009. Celebrating the success of India’s most renowned females, the ceremony honours the contribution of women across fields such as film, glamour, theatre, sports and writing. Actress and model Deepika stole the show in an elegant grey gown as she was presented with a diamante-studded stiletto statuette to mark her recognition as ‘Sexiest Female’. The starlet was recognised for her outstanding contribution towards Indian cinema and for setting an example for upcoming stars.

For more than a decade, Cosmopolitan magazine has saluted intriguing women and men with its annual Fun Fearless Awards, which now comprise one of the most prominent awards ceremonies in India. ‘Wear Your Attitude’ was the theme for the evening as the awards recognised attitude over achievement.

On 28th December 2009, Deepika Padukone, was invited by Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to attend a private dinner at his official residence, held in honour of the Prime Minister of Japan, Yukio Hatoyama, and his wife Miyuki Hatoyama’s visit to India. Deepika was personally invited by the Indian Prime Minister and was the only guest to be invited from the entire Bollywood fraternity at the elite 20-people sit down dinner. Other dignitaries and VIP’s that attended the exclusive dinner included Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Speaker Meera Kaul, Pranab Mukherji, SM Krishna, MS Ahluwalia, LK Advani, Dr RK Pachori, Mukesh Ambani and Japanese delegates.

The Japanese Prime Minister and his wife are presently visiting India and are huge fans of Bollywood. They liked Deepika a lot in her debut film, “Om Shanti Om” and were extremely keen to meet her. The Prime Minister’s office then called the actress and asked her if she would like to come to dinner. Deepika, who was shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker’s “Khelenge Hum Jee Jaan Se” in Goa, readily agreed and took a day off from shooting to attend. The A-list actress wore a stunning Manish Malhotra saree to the event.

In commenting about the evening Deepika says, “It was a privilege and honour for me to be invited to this dinner. I was excited and nervous at the same time. It was a very special evening for me.”

On 5th January 2010, Deepika not only celebrated her 24th birthday but discovered that she has been nominated for the Apsara Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, in recognition of her critically hailed performance in ‘Love Aaj Kal’. The Box Office super-hit has also been nominated in the category of Best Film. She has also been nominated for Best Actress at the forthcoming Screen Awards. Deepika made her acting debut with top director and choreographer Farah Khan in ‘Om Shanti Om’, for which she received her first Filmfare Award for Best Female Debutant, among a host of other prestigious accolades. In a short span of time she has proved her mettle beyond her beauty, in film roles directed by the likes of award-winning Imtiaz Ali and Farhan Akhtar among others.

In commenting about the nomination for best actress Deepika says, “It’s a great feeling to be nominated in the best actress category for Love Aaj Kal. I'm honoured that my performance has been appreciated for these prestigious awards and my work has been recognised in this way.”