Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone has been named in the 90+ Women Shaping Culture list of global cultural publication The Shift, for her advocacy of mental health and women empowerment.

Besides Deepika, the list included the names of other popular celebrities like singer-actor Selena Gomez, Hollywood star Angelina Jolie and singers Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, among others,  according to a PTI report from New Delhi yesterday.

Deepika shared the news with a post on her Instagram handle yesterday afternoon. “In tribute to the one and only Gloria Steinem and her 91 years of activism, The Shift is honoring 90 voices shaping our future. @theshiftison grateful for the honour…#TheShiftIsOn,” read the caption.

Adding her perspective, she added: “To me, success isn’t just about professional achievements but also about well-being—where mental health and self-care matter as much as discipline, dedication, and determination. I hope to inspire a generation that values patience, balance, consistency, and authenticity.”

Some other media reports described the recognition as Deepika’s growing influence far beyond Bollywood. Through her Live Love Laugh Foundation, she has played a key role in normalising mental health conversations in India and around the world, apart from speaking publicly about her personal battles with depression.

Though many felt she was a natural choice from Bollywood for a foray into Hollywood, till date Deepika has acted in only one Hollywood film — the 2017 action movie ‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage’, co-starring Vin Diesel. In a 2024 interaction with entertainment news outlet Deadline, the talented actress did mention that she has signed her second Hollywood film, which is an untitled cross-cultural rom-com under the banner Ka Productions. According to her, the systems were so “different between Hollywood and Bollywood”, but added that as long as the stories resonated, she didn’t mind working anywhere in the world.

Deepika is also set to become the first Indian actress to receive in 2026 a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was last seen in ‘Singham Again’ and presently working on ‘King’, starring King Khanand Allu Arjun, apart from Attlee’s untitled next movie.

(Photos courtesy Deepika Padukone Instagram handle)