MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar actress Deepika Padukone has made a very strange revelation indeed. The ‘Om Shanti Om’ star says Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan are like parents to her!

Deepika Padukone, who made her film debut with Farah Khan’s ‘Om Shanti Om’ recently revealed in an interview that mentor SRK and Farah are very protective of her, just like her parents would be.

When asked about her Bollywood journey, Deepika said: “It’s a lot of fun. I am surrounded by mad people like Farah, Shah Rukh, Abhishek, Boman, Sonu Sood and Vivaan. Both Farah and Shah Rukh feel protective (about me) like proud parents. I can see now Farah is letting me be on my own. In the Dubai schedule, she told me I really had to teach you everything, but now I don’t have to tell you anything. You manage on your own!”

She even divulged that she and Vivaan Shah are being pampered by the rest of the crew. “They pamper me because Vivaan and me are the youngest in the crew.”

Deepika goes visibly doe-eyed when speaking about her mentor, the magnanimous Shah Rukh Khan. “I remember he did an interview before the release of the film ‘Chennai Express’ and said that I was the soul of the film. I thought he was being too generous at that time. It feels nice to hear these things but if people have appreciated my performance, I would give him a lot of credit for it,” Deepika said.

She even went on to add that he was a major factor in her success story. “It would be very selfish of me to say I have done this on my own. You are not alone in front of the camera, you are reacting to somebody. So it’s as much his success as it is mine.”

Post the blockbuster success of ‘Chennai Express’ and ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ earlier this year, Deepika has established herself among the top-rung of A-listers in B’town. Her upcoming release is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Ram Leela’, out in theatres next weekend.