Deepika Padukone makes a defining impact with Pooja Raghu – the face of her new luxury wellness brand 82°E!
Frisbee Champion Pooja Raghu still remembers the moment she thought her first big campaign was a scam. A casting director reached out to her on Instagram, followed by a WhatsApp message. What came next sounded almost unbelievable. She was told that ‘Deepika Padukone had personally handpicked her profile for her wellness brand, 82°E’. Pooja’s immediate reaction was disbelief. In fact, she declined at first, explaining that she had a Frisbee tournament to attend.
Pooja didn’t see herself fitting into the conventional idea of a “model.” She was dusky, carried visible scars on her legs from years of playing sports, and had never imagined herself as the face of a luxury wellness brand. “Why would Deepika pick me?” she kept asking herself.
Nervous and unsure, Pooja flew to Mumbai, even sharing her live location with a friend, half-jokingly asking them to come rescue her if it turned out to be a scam. When she walked onto the set, her anxiety only grew. She found herself surrounded by professional models—polished, experienced, and confident. In contrast, she felt painfully out of place, hiding a broken toenail and feeling exposed with her “battle scars,” all while fighting intense self-doubt.
That is when Deepika Padukone walked up to her. Breaking all barriers of hierarchy and expectation, Deepika hugged Pooja and told her, “You’re looking gorgeous. Thank you for being the face of my brand.” In that moment, everything shifted. What stood out wasn’t just the validation, but Deepika’s intent—her decision to choose a woman who looked real, strong, and unapologetically herself.
“You’re looking gorgeous. Thank you for being the face of my brand.” – Deepika Padukone
That single shoot became a turning point in Pooja Raghu’s life. Doors that once felt permanently shut began to open—campaigns with global brands like WhatsApp (Meta) in London, billboards, representing India in Ultimate Frisbee, and eventually building stories and purpose-driven narratives at Become. What made Deepika Padukone a game-changer, Pooja reflects, was not just the opportunity, but the belief that came with it.
Her experience with Deepika Padukone stands as a reminder of why the actor is built differently—not just as a global star, but as a woman who redefines beauty, representation, and leadership by lifting others as she rises. This is not the first time such a story has come to light.
Time and again, Deepika Padukone has proven to be a force that actively shatters stereotypes—whether it is redefining beauty standards, championing authenticity, or using her influence to create meaningful representation. This year, in many ways, has been a game-changer for her, as she has stepped beyond individual success to become a driver for one of the most important causes of our time: normalising self-worth, wellness, and honest conversations around mental and emotional well-being. Through her choices and her actions, Deepika continues to lead not just as a star, but as a catalyst for change.