On screen, she is the sizzling Padmashree in Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav, but in reality, true to her name, she exudes innocence, laughs uninhibitedly, and touches her head every time she says, "Touch wood."

The Canada-born stunner came to India when she was a year old. She went to school in Pune.

The acting bug bit her young; She started theatre at the age of 10, and turned professional when she was 14. The next year, she came to Mumbai. Television serials like Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai, Radha and Suhana Safar were her first screen steps. Then, she took a two-year break.

Her first movie was a German project, Gate To Heaven. From there, she moved on to the romantic comedy Chupke Se and the critically acclaimed Maqbool. She also worked in a small project called One Into One Point Six. Her biggest break, however, is the latest Mahesh Manjrekar film, in which the Bihar politician it shares its name with does a cameo.

Design: Uday Kuckian | Text: A Ganesh Nadar