"When I got the role I went to research the character and
discovered that it wasn't so rare, even in this patriarchal society,
for a woman to rule as supreme leader of certain kingdoms."
Padma Lakshmi had never even heard of
Sharpe before she auditioned for the role of Madhuvanthi in the
latest epic adventure. "I had never seen a Sharpe, nor even
heard of the series!" she admits. "I hadn't a clue,
but then again growing up in the States there's no reason I would
have. But I had so much fun playing Madhuvanthi. She's such a
juicy character. She's the girl everybody wants to play!"
Actress, model, cookery expert and writer
Padma Lakshi, also married to the author Salman Rushdie, travels
all over the world for her work. However it was especially rewarding
to film in a new part of India. Padma explains, "I am from
the south of India. I was born in Delhi, my family is Keralan
and I was bought up in Madras and Manhattan. I wasn't familiar
with Rajasthan before I went here to film. It was just as exotic
for me as the rest of the British cast and crew. It is very different
from the south, even the landscapes. Where we filmed around Jaipur
and Jodhpur it is very brown and red, a desert area, whereas
south India is very lush and green and tropical."
Describing her character she says: "She's
sexy, capricious and razor sharp. Sensual, charming but Machiavellian.
Everyone sees her as ambitious but I think she is more interested
in her own survival. Madhuvanthi was probably a girl who was
sold into the royal concubine when she was 12 or 13. Here she
was trapped in the harem of this kingdom, she is not of royal
blood, she's basically a glorified prostitute and she had to
use whatever means to look after herself. The only way she could
do this was to gain the king's favour, so she was his property
and no one else could touch her. As regent she is fighting to
keep her kingdom from being conquered by a foreign power. She
was made regent by the king because she is smart, just as smart
as a man, and she is entrusted as caretaker of his kingdom. She
is a powerful woman."
Padma was fascinated by the story and
it prompted her to look into the country's history in a new way.
"When I got the role I went to research the character and
discovered that it wasn't so rare, even in this patriarchal society,
for a woman to rule as supreme leader of certain kingdoms. Just
by surfing the internet I learnt about four or five such women
who were either wives or consorts or concubines who became rulers
and held out against the British."
Padma can soon be seen in the movie
The Ten Commandments in which she plays the Queen of Egypt. "I
don't know why I am cast as such strong women. I've never stopped
to analyse it. But I'm thankful because you get more exciting
roles. I would rather play my role in Sharpe than anyone else's
except Sean's! I'd love to play a female version of Sharpe.
I have often thought how great it would be to have a series about
a group of female India bandits. We would be like Asterix holding
out against the Romans but in this case against the British.
A gang lead by a sexy woman on horseback, like the Lara Croft
of India."
But Padma is also keen to portray more
modern heroines. I'd like to play a lawyer, a doctor or even
a grocery check out girl. A regular, every day heroine. It's
nice to dress up and say wonderfully dramatic lines, but I'd
relish a role where I could wear trainers!"