"She's (Smita Patil) someone whose work I admire a lot and the fact that I have got this award at such an early stage of my career, definitely makes me feel like I must be doing something right," Deepika said here at the award event.

"It gives me the confidence to go ahead and choose the kind of films I have been doing and believe in the kind of roles that excite me," added the 26-year-old, who received the award Tuesday.