Deepika Padukone's plan of funding underprivileged sportsmen dashed

Deepika Padukone's plan of funding underprivileged and needy sportsmen has been dashed momentarily.

The actor had to put this philanthropic initiative on the backburner as she is overworked and has five back-to-back releases next year.

However, she promises that she would revive the project in 2011.A source says, "Deepika has been very busy of late. She has got a lot of work lined up next year too.

That wouldn't give her any time to concentrate on this project. So she has decided to pull the plug for the time being."

As this project is Deepika's brainchild, she is very protective about how it should begin.

The source adds, "She is not doing this to garner attention. She has a sporting person's soul in her and having seen the plight of needy sportsmen from close quarters, she thought of helping them out.

Deepika wants to sustain the project and fund it if possible throughout her lifetime. She has been silently scouting, observing and researching about good talents from across India for a long time."

Confirming the development, Deepika says, "Though the project is on the backburner now, the research work will be on as we are looking to start it from 2011. Next year is a very busy one for me. So I don't want to start this project just for the sake of doing it. I don't enter into things to come out of it easily and so I will take time to roll out this project. But when it starts, it won't stop."