Deepika joins the crorepati bandwagon

Deepika Padukone has emerged as the reigning queen of the ad world during 2009. The actress has doubled her take-home income compared to what she was worth in 2007-2008. Deepika is much sought after in both premium and mass brands, right from high-end watches, airlines, clotheslines and even chewing gum.

According to industry estimates, from a time when she was charging around Rs 60 lakh for an endorsement, Deepika now demands almost Rs 1.5 crore per ad, following in the footsteps of Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif (both around Rs 2 crore an ad) and Priyanka Chopra (Rs 1.5-2 crore).

"I think what made people accept me is that I can be glamourous and also the girl-next-door. I have heard this from people who have approached me with campaigns and endorsement offers. I have worked really hard to get what I'm getting. I'm very passionate about movies and my constant effort is to outdo myself and challenge my acting skills. I'm happy with what I have got - but this isn't enough," Deepika told a daily.

Talking about her competitors from B-town, Deepika told the daily, "I just love how Kareena carries herself. She is extremely graceful. I think Katrina is very hard working and that is a big reason behind her success. Priyanka has shown how versatile she can be and done some very good work recently."

It's not just ads that are keeping this diva on her toes. The actress has five back-to-back films releasing in 2010.