The 25-year-old says her self-criticism helps her do better with each film.
"I am very harsh on myself. I am very rarely satisfied with my own work but I am glad that it is like this. I would rather be harsh on myself than be happy with the smallest thing that I do. I compete with myself and challenge myself to do better everyday. It gives me the drive to push myself otherwise I would be stuck in the rut," Deepika told PTI.
The 26-year-old proved that she is more than a pretty face with her powerful performance as Veronica in 'Cocktail', her lone release this year.
"I am glad that this film happened for people to realise that. I have always believed in my work and myself but sometimes you have to wait for the right script and opportunity to come your way. 'Cocktail' did that for me."
She has already won an award for her performance in the film. Deepika, however, says she is more happy to see that the audiences' perception about her has changed for good.
"I think awards are always welcome. Big Star awards recently acknowledged my contribution. But I am more happy about the energy shift that I feel from the audiences post Veronica. There is nothing in the world that compensates for that feeling."
With her latest film 'Race 2' ready to hit the screens on January 25, Deepika says she is looking forward to 2013.
"I could not have asked for more this year. I invested a lot emotionally into the character of Veronica and I am very happy with the result. It has been a great year for me not only in terms of Cocktail's success but also with the kind of films that I signed post that. I have an interesting line-up for 2013." (MORE)