The Hindu : International : Padma Lakshmi and her new roles

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 23, 2004

International

International

Padma Lakshmi and her new roles

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, SEPT. 22. Padma Lakshmi, actress, model and wife of the writer Salman Rushdie, plans to make a documentary film on women in India in her new role as the ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

"I'm going to approach the BBC about making a film on Unifem's work in India. I want to go to Asia as a journalist and explore what life for women is like out there," she told The Daily Telegraph.

Supportive Rushdie

She said Mr. Rushdie was very supportive of the new cause she had taken up, and had given her £10,000 (about Rs. 8.3 lakhs) to set up a shelter for women in Delhi. "He offered without being asked so I said I would accept it as my Christmas present," she added.

In a dig at charity celebrities, Ms. Lakshmi (in picture, from the files) said: "Speaking up for children with AIDS seems to be a trendy choice with celebrities, but no one wants to help women who are being abused and tortured."

Charity work

She said that since she married Mr. Rushdie she was deluged with requests to do charity work but he advised her not to lend her name to organisations she knew nothing about. "When I came across UNIFEM, though, I was appalled that I had never heard of it before."

And, of course, "Salman" approved.

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