|
Among the first Indian actresses and models to be successful in the West, Padma Lakshmi was born in Kerala before moving to Chennai and from there to the United States. When she was 14, she got in a life-threatening car accident, which left a 7 inch scar on her right arm that is still there today. She has recounted the experience as being oddly "beautiful" because she remembers the car being airborn before crashing into the earth. No one was killed, however.
Padma began modeling when she was 20 after being discovered by a modeling agency in Spain. She concedes her intitial success was in part due to her being a "novelty" on the European fashion circuit, although she quickly earned a spot of her own wokring for designers like Emanuel Ungaro and Alberta Ferretti. She began appearing in movies in 2001, in small roles such as Boom and Geeta. Recently, she has become the hostess of the TV show Top Chef, after her bestselling cookbook won international praise.
Padma Lakshmi was married to the famous author Salman Rushdie for some years, although they are divorced now. Padma Lakshmi continues to be a widely sought-after model and actress, and has earned her place as a trailblazer for Indian actresses everywhere. |
