Is Deepika Padukone’s xXx role meaty enough

The Indian trailer of xXx: Return of Xander Cage was released with much pomp on Bigg Boss’ inaugural episode over the weekend. The short video, however, gives away little about Deepika Padukone’s prospects as an international star, and shows the fact that Vin Diesel is Vin Diesel — even when he’s Xander Cage.

Deepika, in the trailer, transforms into Serena Unger, the doughty, devil-may-care adversary, who won’t succumb to the hero’s casual overtures. Even if that means pointing a gun at Vin’s waist, with a sneering contempt pasted on her face.

It’s quite a sight to behold Deepika slip into her character in the racy trailer. The closest the actress has come to being this athletic was in the long-forgotten Nikhil Advani fiasco, Chandni Chowk to China, in which she played a double role.

In xXx too, Deepika essays a double role of sorts. Even as she transforms completely into the character she plays — blazing guns, flaring nostrils, lithe limps, et al. — and on another level she’s an Indian actress. Deepika can be seen making a conscious effort to make a transition from India to the West.

To her credit, Deepika avoids acquiring an American accent. She doesn’t seem overawed by her larger-than-life, hunky co-star, nor does she try to look as American as Priyanka Chopra does in Quantico. Yet, there’s a saucy, exotic quality to Deepika’s presence.

However, the real question is, how much of Dippy is really in the film The made-for-India trailer doesn’t mean much in terms of the space allotted to her. It was a similar story with Irrfan Khan’s presence in the tailored-for-India trailer of Inferno. Let’s hope there’s more of Deepika in xXx than there’s Irrfan in Inferno.