Meanwhile, instead of wallowing in self-pity, Deepika has decided to keep herself immersed in work. The girl has Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Khelien Hum Jee Jaan Se with Abhishek Bachchan; Kunal Kohli’s next with Imran Khan and Pradeep Sarkar’s film with Neil Nitin Mukesh. She’s expected to fly to the US on a work assignment to do two new commercial endorsements and then there’s also Kartik Calling Kartik and Houseful, which she has to complete. If you thought Deepika Padukone had ducked out of sight and was dodging the media following her split with Ranbir Kapoor, think again.

The model-turned-actress herself revealed that she was lying low because she didn’t want to reveal her new look for Kartik Calling Kartik. In the film, which co-stars Farhan Akhtar, Deepika has got herself a short-short haircut. The actress, who had waist-length hair till recently, has now got it down to her shoulders. “I last chopped my hair when I was eight,” said Deepika. Apparently Audhuna, the celebrity hairstylist and Farhan’s wife, and director Vijay Lalwani had to convince Deepika to go in for the change.

“They thought with my height, I would be able to carry it off well,” said the actress. But she argued with the director that she would go in for the haircut only if he shaved his head bald. “He didn’t do that but he saw to it that he was present in the salon so that I don’t back off at the last moment,” laughed Deepika.

People, who have seen her new look, have loved it. Her parents were amazed. “Everybody says it looks good on me and makes me look younger,” smiled Deepika. The actress plays an interior designer in the film. “The scriptwriter had a certain image in mind when he wrote my character Shonali. So I had to do justice to the role,” she said. What about her responsibility as brand ambassador for some hair-care products? Wasn’t her long hair the reason she got those lucrative deals? “It’s okay, I like it this way now,” said the beauty, “Change is good.”

After continuously being on her toes for three years, Deepika has finally decided to take it easy. The actress will soon take a short break and head for a holiday to the US with her family to attend a cousin’s wedding. The Padukones are looking forward to spending time with their relatives.

Deepika’s close friend said, “Deepika has been working incessantly since the last three years. Also, she just broke up with Ranbir Kapoor, so the break is a welcome relief for her. She signed Om Shanti Om in 2006 and the back-to-back shooting schedules for other films left her with no personal time. Even before Om Shanti Om released, she was working on Chandni Chowk to China and Bachna Ae Haseeno. As soon as she completed these two films, she got busy with Love Aaj Kal. Recently, she completed shooting for Farhan’s Akhtar’s Karthik Calling Karthik and Sajid Khan’s Housefull. Then, there were the cameo appearances and the endorsements, which also kept her occupied. When the rest-deprived Deepika got an opportunity to spend time with family, she immediately grabbed it.”

“One of Deepika’s closest cousins is getting married she will be leaving after a couple of days and will spend at least ten days with her family in the US. Since there is a lot of speculation about her personal life due to her break-up with Ranbir, she wants to come back rejuvenated,” added the friend. Deepika confirmed the news and said, “My brother is getting married. It is the first big wedding in the family and I am looking forward to it. I believe it is very important to make time for family, no matter how hectic one’s life is.”

There is also a strong buzz that Deepika has refused to work with Ranbir. According to some sources close to the actors, "A well known producer recently offered a film to Deepika and planned to cast Ranbir as the male lead. But, the actress turned down the proposal simply for the reason that it had Ranbir opposite her." After the fall out, the ‘Om Shanti Om’ actress has devoted her 24/7 into films. Earlier she had divided her time between her work and boyfriend but now she is totally focused on her career. Deepika starred with Ranbir only in one film ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ and it seems that this is their first and the last together.