Ouch! Brit tabloid names Deepika Padukone ‘female companion’ on being snapped with Djokovic

As one of Bollywood’s leading heroines, Deepika Padukone is used to having reams of print devoted to her every move. But when she was spotted out and about town with tennis star Novak Djokovic in Los Angeles, for once, the shoe was on the other foot.

British tabloid The Daily Mail published images of the duo leaving LA’s celebrity haunt The Nice Guy together on Wednesday. But while Djokovic was correctly identified, Deepika had to make do with being labeled his “female companion”.

The article, which featured numerous photos of Deepika and Djokovic, offered quite the paean to the tennis star’s laidback style (he was dressed entirely in denim), before graciously adding that his “mysterious friend” seemed to have made more of an effort, sartorially.

“The leggy brunette slipped her towering figure into a flirty frock which was decorated with a statement floral print and skimmed her knees,” the report mentioned.

The report triggered quite the reaction on home shores, with some fans of the actress making it a point to let The Daily Mail know just who Djokovic’s “female companion” was. For others, it offered a chance for social media hilarity about how Deepika and Djokovic should get together, just so we’d have a “power couple called ‘DeepAk'”.

The incident seems to show that while Deepika may be hoping to establish a Hollywood career with xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, her film with action star Vin Diesel, she may have a way to go yet before she becomes a recognisable face in international media.

Deepika was previously snapped with Jelena Ristic, Djokovic’s wife, at Wimbledon last year.

Incidentally, while Deepika’s peer Priyanka Chopra seems to be on a firmer footing in Hollywood, she too was mistakenly identified as “Yukta Mookhey” when she featured on an American TV show a few months ago.