Prakash Padukone on ‘semi-retired’ life, grandparenthood, and why he stays off social media

At a time when most would love to lead a retired life, badminton legend Prakash Padukone, a Padma Shri awardee, calls himself “kind of semi-retired now” after 31 years of being in the space. Having stepped away from active involvement in the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy that he co-founded over three decades ago, Padukone is now focused on a new grassroots initiative, the Padukone School of Badminton, while also making more room for family, fitness, and the simple pleasures he once had little time for.

“The idea is to standardise coaching across different centres, so I hired professional people and started a private limited company. The idea is to open more centres, do various activities connected with badminton, coach, run education programmes, conduct badminton tournaments, and give consultancy for builders, or whoever is interested in putting up infrastructure…everything connected with badminton,” Padukone, who stepped away from the academy in the latter part of 2025, told indianexpress.com in an exclusive interview.

Padukone, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, spent much of his life travelling the world as a player and administrator. Retirement, he said, doesn’t mean doing nothing. “You need something to look forward to when you wake up every morning,” he reflected. These days, his schedule is deliberately less demanding. “There are gym sessions three times a week, yoga twice a week, a few hours spent guiding my new venture, and plenty of time reserved for family,” he shared.

Life with Dua: ‘I notice every change’

At the centre of his family life is granddaughter Dua, even as they await daughter and actor Deepika and son-in-law Ranveer Singh’s second child.

Padukone admits he never anticipated how transformative grandparenthood would feel. “I think it’s great. It’s a totally different feeling to be a grandparent. I never expected this kind of a feeling. We used to wonder why grandparents fussed so much about their grandchildren,” he shared with a laugh. “Now I completely understand.”

Calling Deepika and Ranveer “hands-on parents”, Padukone said, “Of course, Deepika does a lot more, but Ranveer helps a lot whenever he’s not working. Both families are also present to help.”

Prakash Padukone with Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone (Photo: Archives)

Watching Dua growing up has given him an experience he feels he missed while raising his daughters, Deepika and Anisha. During his playing years, constant travel meant he wasn’t always around for the small milestones. “As a parent, I don’t remember having brought up our kids or being involved as much because I was hardly home. I do remember important things, but the day-to-day details were missed. Now I notice every little change. Almost every day, there’s something new,” he candidly admitted.

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When Dua visits Bengaluru, Padukone and his wife, Ujjala, make it a point to give her experiences that celebrity children often miss due to constant media attention. Padukone mentioned taking her on Metro rides, auto-rickshaw journeys, and evening park visits.

“Keeping her privacy in mind, we have taken her on a Metro train. Last time, we went to Cubbon Park, took her on the Putani Express (an iconic, child-sized toy train located at Jawahar Bal Bhavan inside Cubbon Park, Bengaluru), and even in an auto,” Padukone shared.

“She’s very fond of padel. There’s a nice padel ground very close to our house. We stay near Camp station, so she likes to see the trains. She’s a very friendly child, so she likes to mix with people. She says hello to almost everybody. She’s been travelling from a very young age. That has really helped. She’s growing up quite fast and at a very interesting stage right now,” he added.

Workouts, portion control, and a relaxed schedule

Meanwhile, opening up about keeping himself healthy, Padukone said, “I have a personal trainer. This is not to take part in any tournaments or anything, but just from a health point of view. I eat in moderation. I don’t follow any nutritionist. I’m fond of food. And because I don’t drink or smoke, the only thing I look forward to is good food.”

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“I eat everything but try to be a little more careful wherever possible. Eat a little less of sweets. I completely avoid oily stuff. If I were having it four times a month, now I have it probably twice a month whenever possible. Instead of deep-fried food, I use air-fried food because at home everybody is very conscious about fitness and health. They are at a different level. I have told them that I won’t be able to compete with them,” he added.

Prakash Padukone talks about keeping his lifestyle balanced (Photo: Express Archives)

He candidly admitted that he does not like bland food and hates restrictions. “I have a different belief. I am not aiming to look super fit. As long as I am comfortable, within my weight limit, I would like to eat good food and not have too many restrictions. Then I combine it with my workouts. On days when I’m not working out, maybe I’ll eat a little less, or if I’m not doing anything, I will climb the steps instead of using an elevator or go for a walk. My schedule is very structured at home in Bengaluru, but when we are travelling, it’s not so much. However, even then, I do try to control my portions,” detailed the veteran who became the first Indian to reach the World No. 1 badminton rankings in 1980.

Giving an insight into what his typical day looks like, Padukone said, “Five days a week, I start my day with a workout, usually hitting the gym from 7-8 am or 8-9 am. After that, I head back home, have breakfast around 9.30 or 10 am, and spend a few hours working from my home office, which is conveniently located in the same building. I usually work until about 2 pm, then take some time to rest in the afternoon.”

“My evenings are fairly relaxed — I might go for a walk, catch up on some television, or occasionally meet friends. Life isn’t particularly hectic or tightly scheduled these days, and that’s something I enjoy. With more free time on my hands, I answer emails, do a bit of shopping, help out around the house, and stay involved with my new venture. Overall, I feel I have found a good balance. I’m keeping myself occupied without being overwhelmed, and at the same time, I’m not just letting the days drift by. I’m genuinely enjoying this phase of semi-retired life,” he added.

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Family and learning from each other

Talking about his strong bond with his wife, Ujjala, Padukone said, “At least in our case, the disciplining part, bringing up the children, the credit goes to her. I think our stay in Denmark after we got married…we learned a lot from there. I think the younger generation needs to have a lot of patience. Nobody comes perfect. I think, from what we have seen generally, you know, there will be exceptions. We have learned from each other. I have certain strengths. She has certain strengths. We can’t try to complement each other. Not that we don’t have fights or arguments or disagreements, but we get over them. It’s a temporary thing. I think the best way would be to learn from the strengths of your partner.”

Having watched and appreciated Dhurandhar recently, Padukone spoke about his bond with son-in-law Ranveer. “It’s a great film. It’s a very well-made film with good acting by everybody. We felt there was a little bit too much violence, but the majority of people liked it, so I think that’s more important. We do spend a lot of time together. In fact, both families are very close. At least once a year, we go on vacation together,” he shared.

“There are a lot of common interests, as he’s very interested in sports. He keeps talking to me about sports, and I keep asking him about movies as I want to learn about the business. We don’t get so much time, as they are all busy, but whatever time we get, we like to sit together and enjoy whether it’s football or cricket. He is an Arsenal fan, and our daughter Anisha is a Manchester United fan, so there are these common interests,” he added.

Pointing out that he is not on social media, Padukone said, “I get to know things from my daughters. I’m completely off. Without realising, one ends up spending half their time on it and wastes time unnecessarily. So, nothing for me.”

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Prakash Padukone and Ujjala Padukone (Express Archives)

Lessons from sport that apply to life

As someone who now gives corporate talks, Padukone said that he is “enjoying” this phase. “Lots of life lessons. I feel there are a lot of similarities between the corporate world and the sports world, which people don’t realise. Discipline, dedication, learning from your mistakes, and teamwork are just some of them. I don’t propagate that everybody should follow what I did, but I share my experience. That has been received well because it comes straight from the heart,” he explained.

Prakash Padukone and Deepika Padukone (Photo: Deepika Padukone/Instagram)

What about his legacy?

“No, nothing,” Padukone said. “Whatever I wanted, I have done just for my own satisfaction to challenge myself. I’m not worried about whether people remember me or not. I think I have done everything, not to please anyone but just for my own satisfaction. It so happened that I became a part of the evolution of badminton in India with my victories, with starting a badminton academy in 1994. All those things helped Indian badminton evolve and reach the stage we are in today. So, I’m happy to have played a part in the evolution of Indian badminton, and I’ll continue to do whatever interests me,” he shared.