Early life and education
Padda was born on 13 October 2002 in Amritsar, Punjab, India. [1] She completed her schooling from the Spring Dale Senior School in Amritsar. [2] [3] As of November 2025, Padda is studying for her bachelor's degree, majoring in political science with a minor in English from the Jesus and Mary College of the University of Delhi and will complete final exams in December and January 2026. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Padda has stated that her desire to pursue acting came from performing in a play as a child, having not previously been particularly interested in cinema. She has recalled a lack of support from her father, who had once aspired to be an actor himself. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Padda said she had sent over 50 cold emails to production companies in an effort to secure work, but soon realised that this was typically handled by casting agencies. She was subsequently hired for a coffee advertisement. [7]
Whilst studying for her undergraduate degree in Delhi, Padda began modelling in advertisements, doing ad campaigns, with a textile ad shot in Chandigarh being one of her earliest assignments. She would often travel to Mumbai and Chandigarh, for auditions, while managing her college assignments simultaneously. [8]
Padda began her acting career with a brief role in Salaam Venky (2022), a drama about euthanasia in which she played the love interest of Vishal Jethwa's character. [9] Writing for The Hindu , Shilpa Nair acknowledged her appearance as "noteworthy". [10] In 2024, Padda had her first lead role in Nitya Mehra's Amazon Prime Video series Big Girls Don't Cry , a coming-of-age drama centred around a friend group who attend a boarding school. [11] [12] She played Roohi, a member of the group struggling to cope with the strained relationship between her parents. [13] Padda wrote, composed and sang an original track for the series, titled "Masoom". [14] Despite mixed reception towards the series overall, the performances of the ensemble were positively received by critics. [15] Padda has since credited Mehra for her support when she moved from Delhi to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting. [7]
In 2025, she first appeared alongside Dalai Mulchandani in Mehra's segment of the anthology series Yuva Sapno Ka Safar, which was digitally released on to Waves. [16] Following this, Padda had her breakthrough with Mohit Suri's romantic drama Saiyaara , in which she starred opposite debutant Ahaan Panday. [17] Suri was initially impressed by Padda's self-tape audition, but found her first formal audition lacking in authenticity. [18] However, he was persuaded by Panday to give her a second opportunity. [19] Produced by Yash Raj Films, she was ultimately cast as Vaani, an aspiring lyricist diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, who forms a relationship with an emerging singer (played by Panday). In a positive review of the film, The Hollywood Reporter 's Rahul Desai commended Padda for bringing "a kind of literary sheen to a woman that might have easily been reduced to a coming-of-age device in someone else's journey" and praised the chemistry between her and Panday. [20] Saiyaara set several box-office records upon its release, grossing over ₹5.79 billion (US$68 million) to emerge as the year's second highest-grossing Indian film. [21] Padda will reunite with Nitya Mehra for the courtroom drama Nyaya, starring Fatima Sana Shaikh. [22] She will also star as the title character in Shakti Shalini, as part of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe. [23]
In September 2025, Padda was announced as a celebrity ambassador for Lakmé Cosmetics and Mia by Tanishq. [24] [25]
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