Deepika Padukone is the latest hottie on the tinsel town horizon. Having successfully walked the ramp as a supermodel, Deepika with a riveting performance in ‘Om Shanti Om' has now been acknowledged as the flavour of the season according to an industry consensus.

And the stupendous success of the Diwali release has thrown up a formidable brand ambassador for Anupam Kher's acting school 'Actor Prepares.'

The news has special significance for Anupam Kher as the hot debutante Deepika, is a product of Mr Kher's school. She was a student in his second batch (June-August 2005) and Kher remembers her as a diligent learner.

"She came with the reputation of being a successful model, yet she never had any airs about herself. She realized that film was a new medium and she slogged tirelessly to understand, and emerge, on top of the heap," says Kher, visibly proud of his protégé

. Do we hear other models knocking on Mr Kher's door asking him to do a Padukone on them as well?