Deepika Padukone – who turns 40 today – didn’t enter the showbiz industry to be a leading lady. Slowly, and almost deliberately, she rewrote the rulebook. For a long time in Bollywood, the concept of a leading lady came with ready-made rulebook. She was expected to look perfect, romance the hero flawlessly, and have nothing much to add when the plot demanded either heroism or emotional depth. Then arrived Deepika Padukone! Slowly, but with consistent efforts, she rewrote the rulebook. But did she change thing overnight? No. Deepika made her Bollywood debut with Om Shanti Om in the most traditional way. She looked beautiful, elegant, and was comfortably put in a male-star-driven story. But what really gave her an edge over others was intent. She didn’t find comfort in playing safe versions of herself. Instead, she made conscious efforts to take up different roles and stretch limits of what a typical heroine could actually do and lead. For instance, consider Cocktail. The film – which had released in 2012 – is often referred to …