Ujjwala Raut was a 17-year-old commerce student when she became the winner of Femina Look of the Year at the Feminia Miss India 1996 contest. She was also among the Top 15 in Elite Model Look of the Year in Nice. She has since enjoyed one of the most successful careers as an Indian fashion model. She walked the catwalk for numerous high-end fashion shows, including Yves Saint-Laurent, Roberto Cavalli, Hugo Boss, Cynthia Rowley, Diane von Furstenberg, Dolce & Gabbana, Betsey Johnson, Gucci, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, and Emilio Pucci, Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She has also posed for advertisements of Dolce & Gabbana, Gap, H&M, Pianegonda, Roberto Cavalli, and Yves Saint-Laurent. Raut has graced the covers of ELLE, Time, L'Officiel Magazine, Tank, and WWD.She also appeared on the Wendy Pepper fashion show at Bryant Park for Project Runway.Raut married top fashion model Craig Maxwell, on June 19, 2004 in New York. Her wedding guests included supermodel Iman and her husband, singer/songwriter David Bowie. Her bridesmaids were fellow models Anne Vyalitsyna and Liya Kebede. She has a young daughter named Ksha. She is accused of being a cocaine addict by her husband.
Ujjwala filed for divorce in India in 2009 from Craig Maxwell Sterry. Since, the two have been in a vicious legal battle over the custody of the their daughter, Ksha. Ujjwala initially accused her estranged husband of physical abuse in order to gain custody of their daughter.
Ujjwala has denied Craig Maxwell contact with their daughter since 2009. The case is supposed to be settled in Indian courts in the summer of 2010. Prior to the couple's separation there were a lot of speculations about Ujjwala's numerous affairs including an affair with the well known Italian playboy Flavio Briatore who fathered one of Heidi Klum's children. There are numerous rumors of Ujjwala's cocaine addiction and heavy marijuana use along with rumors that Ujjwala has gone into rehab several times. The father was trying to force the courts to issue a blood test to prove that Ujjwala was a cocaine addict and to protect the child. The Indian courts have not yet ruled regarding the matter.