HER LIFE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

BABY GIRL She was born in Madras, India, and raised in New York and Los Angeles.

FASHION FRONT Spotted by a modeling scout when she was 21 and studying abroad in Madrid, Padma quickly became a favorite subject of famed photographer Helmut Newton.

ACTING AMBITION In 2006, she played Princess Bithia in The Ten Commandments, a miniseries about the life of the prophet Moses.