30 December,2025 01:12 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sneh Rana and Deepika Padukone
Indian cricketer Sneh Rana had her ultimate fan moment fulfilled when she met Bollywood star Deepika Padukone. Taking to Instagram, Sneh shared adorable pictures from her meeting with the Pathaan actress. Deepika, one of the country's biggest stars, enjoys a massive fan following across generations.
On Monday, Sneh posted photos from the meet, visibly thrilled to be meeting her favourite actress up close and even receiving a kiss on the cheek from Deepika. In another picture, Deepika is seen taking a selfie with the cricketer. Sneh added the song Aankhon Mein Teri from Om Shanti Om to accompany the post.
Sharing the pictures, Sneh wrote, "From the moment I found out I had a chance to meet you, the inner child in me jumped with joy. Ever since Om Shanti Om, you became my instant favourite. Your warmth was exhilarating, deepikapadukone. It was a moment I'll cherish for a long time. You are a sweetheart." While Sneh was dressed in a green formal suit paired with a white T-shirt, Deepika looked stunning in a black co-ord set.
After exiting from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit co-starring Prabhas, it was reported that Deepika demanded fixed working hours and an increase in fee. This led to debate on working hours in the film industry. When asked about the public chatter around her projects, she replied, "By virtue of being a woman, if that's coming across as being pushy or whatever, then so be it. But it is no secret that a lot of male superstars in the Indian film industry have been working for 8 hours for years. And it's never made headlines."
She added, "I don't want to take names now and make this into this whole thing. But it's very commonly publicly known about a lot of male actors who have been working for 8 hours for years. A lot of them work only 8 hours Monday to Friday. They do not work on weekends. I think the larger issue being that while the Indian film industry is termed as an industry, we've never really worked like an industry. We are a very disorganised industry. And I think it's time that we brought in some systems into this culture."
When asked if she has support from the women in the industry, she quipped, "I also know a lot of women now and newly turned mothers who have also started working 8 hours. But that also surprisingly didn't make headlines. So I'm not sure about this myself."
Deepika was last seen on the big screen in Jawan (2023), starring Shah Rukh Khan. In 2024, she welcomed her daughter Dua with husband Ranveer Singh and took a brief break from work.
The actress has now returned to shooting and is currently filming Siddharth Anand's King, which also stars Shah Rukh Khan and marks Suhana Khan's first theatrical release. Scheduled for a 2026 release, Deepika will also appear in Atlee's upcoming action-packed sci-fi drama AA22 x A6 opposite Allu Arjun, slated for 2027.
