Meet Deeksha Seth: Allu Arjun's 'Vedam' co-star who left a 45 million-dollar film career to pursue corporate ambitions
Former actress Deeksha Seth best known for her debut opposite Allu Arjun in the 2010 Telugu film 'Vedam' took a different path in her career which is quite unique when compared to other actors who left the showbiz.
Deeksha never planned on becoming an actress and her childhood was spent following her father’s corporate postings across cities like Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Kathmandu, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Constant travel shaped her comfort with shifting environments. By college, she hoped to study marine archaeology. Her fascination lay in the ocean floor, ancient shipwrecks and underwater history.
But her life changed when a scout noticed her at an NSS event. Deeksha won the Fresh Face title in a fashion competition. During one modelling assignment in Hyderabad, director Krish saw her and felt she would suit a role in his upcoming film. That film was 'Vedam'.
A fast rise across four industriesDeeksha played Allu Arjun 's girlfriend character Pooja in 'Vedam' and the anthology drama received critical praise, giving her a strong launch. She appeared in 'Mirapakay' (2011) with Ravi Teja, which became a commercial hit. Her first film as the lead was Wanted (2011) with Gopichand.
In 2012, Deeksha featured in Nippu, Rebel with Prabhas and Tamannaah Bhatia, and Uu Kodathara? Ulikki Padathara?. She entered Tamil cinema with Rajapattai opposite Vikram.
Her Hindi debut came in 2014 with 'Lekar Hum Deewana Dil' opposite Armaan Jain. The film failed to perform and her mainstream presence faded. She later appeared in the web series 'Saat Kadam' (2021) but stayed away from the movie world.
10 years experience as lead actorDeeksha now works in the corporate space. Her LinkedIn bio summarises her film career with precise clarity. She writes, "I have 10+ years’ experience as the lead actor in ten mainstream Indian films in four languages across four different regions. Each movie distributed across 500-1000 screens across India, released on 80-100 screens internationally (US, U.K and Middle east) with crews of 500+ and total box office collections of 10 movies $ 45M +".
She also outlines her goals: "After a career of using media to influence society, I now want to use these attributes to shape the world of business. I am eager to grow, learn and evolve, both personally and professionally."
Deeksha's unplanned entry in BollywoodBack in 2014, Deeksha spoke to TOI City about her Bollywood debut. She said, "I had never planned a career in films, everything happened just like that. I was spotted at a college event, got selected for a beauty pageant and was offered my first film when I attended the pageant finale." She added that her entry into Hindi cinema was also accidental. She explained, "Unlike some of my contemporaries from the south, who might have planned their B-Town move smartly, I’ve simply followed my instinct and will continue to listen to my heart when it comes to doing films."
A graceful exit from films, a confident new pathThough she starred alongside major names and earned significant box-office returns, Deeksha chose reinvention. As mentioned above in her exclusive chat with TOI City, Deeksha is someone who simply follows her instinct and continues to listen to her heart.
Deeksha never planned on becoming an actress and her childhood was spent following her father’s corporate postings across cities like Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Kathmandu, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Constant travel shaped her comfort with shifting environments. By college, she hoped to study marine archaeology. Her fascination lay in the ocean floor, ancient shipwrecks and underwater history.
But her life changed when a scout noticed her at an NSS event. Deeksha won the Fresh Face title in a fashion competition. During one modelling assignment in Hyderabad, director Krish saw her and felt she would suit a role in his upcoming film. That film was 'Vedam'.
A fast rise across four industriesDeeksha played Allu Arjun 's girlfriend character Pooja in 'Vedam' and the anthology drama received critical praise, giving her a strong launch. She appeared in 'Mirapakay' (2011) with Ravi Teja, which became a commercial hit. Her first film as the lead was Wanted (2011) with Gopichand.
In 2012, Deeksha featured in Nippu, Rebel with Prabhas and Tamannaah Bhatia, and Uu Kodathara? Ulikki Padathara?. She entered Tamil cinema with Rajapattai opposite Vikram.
Her Hindi debut came in 2014 with 'Lekar Hum Deewana Dil' opposite Armaan Jain. The film failed to perform and her mainstream presence faded. She later appeared in the web series 'Saat Kadam' (2021) but stayed away from the movie world.
10 years experience as lead actorDeeksha now works in the corporate space. Her LinkedIn bio summarises her film career with precise clarity. She writes, "I have 10+ years’ experience as the lead actor in ten mainstream Indian films in four languages across four different regions. Each movie distributed across 500-1000 screens across India, released on 80-100 screens internationally (US, U.K and Middle east) with crews of 500+ and total box office collections of 10 movies $ 45M +".
She also outlines her goals: "After a career of using media to influence society, I now want to use these attributes to shape the world of business. I am eager to grow, learn and evolve, both personally and professionally."
Deeksha's unplanned entry in BollywoodBack in 2014, Deeksha spoke to TOI City about her Bollywood debut. She said, "I had never planned a career in films, everything happened just like that. I was spotted at a college event, got selected for a beauty pageant and was offered my first film when I attended the pageant finale." She added that her entry into Hindi cinema was also accidental. She explained, "Unlike some of my contemporaries from the south, who might have planned their B-Town move smartly, I’ve simply followed my instinct and will continue to listen to my heart when it comes to doing films."
A graceful exit from films, a confident new pathThough she starred alongside major names and earned significant box-office returns, Deeksha chose reinvention. As mentioned above in her exclusive chat with TOI City, Deeksha is someone who simply follows her instinct and continues to listen to her heart.
Next Story