It was the summer of 2002 when supermodel and then Salman Rusdhie’s stunning girlfriend spoke to Man’s World in detail about life beyond her well-documented culinary exploits and the man who doesn’t need introductions. Almost 15 years – and many major life events – later, Padma Lakshmi sat down with us again, agelessly. Only this time she was signing copies of her book ‘Love, Loss, and What We Ate’ during an event in Mumbai, a first for her in the country.
“I’m very excited about this tour because I’ve never done any public events in India. The only feedback from my fans in the subcontinent is through social media or the letters that they send. So it’s wonderful to be here and meet them,” said the Top Chef host, who otherwise spends most of visits in the country at her grandparents’, in Chennai.
In the book, the model, actress and film producer gets candid about her much-talked-about failed marriage with the controversial author, the other unsuitable men she has walked away from in life and even the deeper details of her sex life. But what are her most favourite parts from the book?
“The first few chapters from India have been the most important to write on because most people who have been mentioned are old or have passed away. Specific individual family histories are very universal but very important to document. There was a lot I learnt about my family during the research,” she speaks like a true family girl.
But apart from her South Indian roots and paparazzi-lit life, she has come to experience another major emotion in the years gone by. “I was going through motherhood when I was writing the later chapters of the book, so it’s nice to document that happening in real time. In the self editing process, memory takes over,” revealed the cookbook author and added, “Obviously, some of the book was just cathartic!”
And how has life changed after ‘Love, Loss, and What We Ate’, which is in total contrast to all of her previous writings? “The image that most Indians have of me is from a red carpet or from a food show. So it’s been wonderful having them getting to know me in a deeper way through the book.”
Moreover, Padma has been a vocal adversary of the Donald Trump administration and was even a part of the Women’s March against the proposed abortion laws, earlier this month. So what will the next step in this journey be? “After this book, I’ve been considering writing about things that are much deeper. I would love to do a book on feminism someday, on what it means to be a feminist in global cultures today,” she signed off.
