MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan says Deepika Padukone stood tall in "Piku" and was the "diamond" in the ensemble which included megastar Amitabh Bachchan.
Earlier, Bachchan had reportedly said the audience came to watch "Piku" only because of the presence of the 30-year-old popular actress in the 2015 film.
Asked about this, Irrfan, who also featured in the movie, told reporters that "I don't want to react. But there is some truth in what he (Bachchan) said. Deepika is a big star. She was the diamond in the whole ensemble of actors. I am happy that he acknowledged that."
The "Jazbaa" star was speaking at the launch of "Dama Dam" song from his upcoming film "Madaari". The Nishikant Kamat-directed film was earlier scheduled to release on June 10 but was pushed to July 15.
Had "Madaari" released today, the film would have clashed with Bachchan's "Te3n" but Irrfan, 49, said there is no sense of competition between him and the 73-year-old "Wazir" star.
"I don't have the time to do competition. Everyone has their own competition. Bachchan sahab competes with himself. He does not have to compete with me nor I need to with him."
"Madaari" is inspired from several true life incidents. It also stars Jimmy Shergill.