'Freida's love-making scenes would set the screen on fire'

First we had British litterateur Thomas Hardy’s 19th century masterpiece Tess being trans-located into Rajasthan in Michael Winterbottom’s new movie adaptation Trishna.

And if Trishna would be hard to recognize as being inspired by the Hardy novel, we now have news of Michael Winterbottom’s adaptation being forcibly moved even further away from its source material in the dubbed Hindi version of Trishna which releases in India in July.

A reliable source informs that the Indian distributors of Trishna intend to add an item song to the British director’s screen version of the Tess saga.

Says the source close to the project, “The film’s Indian distributors think Trishna is too artistic. But it also has the makings of a great masala film. Freida Pinto plays a kind of Mother India who’s tossed from one cruel circumstance to another.

Women audiences in India would weep buckets over the ablaa naari (hapless woman) act of Freida. And also, let’s not overlook the fact, the the male audience is also in for a treat.

Freida has done some of the most graphic and lingering love-making scenes in the history of films based India. So we see a lot of potential for Trishna in the Indian market. ”

To enhance and boost the film’s boxoffice potential we hear the Indian distributors have decided to add an item song by Huma Qureshi in the Hindi version of Trishna.



Qureshi is the leading lady of Anurag Kashyap’s much talked-about forthcoming film Gangs Of Wasseypur. Interestingly Anurag also has cameo appearance in Trishna.

Apparently the situation for the item song is interwoven into the plot.

Says the informed source, “Freida plays a wannabe Bollywood actress in Bollywood. In a sequence she visits a studio to meet director Anurag Kashyap and his wife Kalki. That’s where the item song will come in. ”

When contacted Sunil Bohra who is Trishna’s Indian producer did not try to deny the artistic liberties planned to be taken with Thomas Hardy and Michael Winterbottom.

Says Bohra, “Yes, we’re going to have an item song in the Hindi version of Trishna. There’s an ideal situation for it in the film when the heroine goes to meet a director. The item song entitled Maintenance meri maintenance is filmed on Huma Quereshi. Ganesh Acharya has choreographed it. It will get our audiences repeatedly into the theatres to watch the film. ”



When asked what the Trishna director would think of the tantalizing embellishment to his artistry, Bohra was nonchalant.

“It’s not as if the situation for the item song is not there in the film. In fact we’re also going to change the posters of Trishna for the Indian release. The international posters are much too abstract. We’re planning something far more desi and eye-catching. ”

Bohra also expressed his apprehensions about the love-making scenes. “I can tell you, Freida’s love-making scenes in Trishna would set the screen on fire. I am only worried about our censorboard. ”

We’re also worried about Freida’s response to Ms Qureshi stealing some of the thunder.

Credit: Mid-Day.com

Freida to ink $7m ad deal?

Actor Freida Pinto, 27, is strengthening her foothold in the international celeb world.

Buzz suggests that the Slumdog Millionaire actor has inked a two-year endorsement deal with a high fashion apparel brand for $7 million. She is expected to get $3.5 million a year. “Since it is a two-year deal, it makes it a $7 million deal. In Indian rupees, it is approximately R35 crore. It is higher than what any Indian female celebrity has ever been paid,” said a source close to the actor.

When contacted, Anirban Das Blah, managing director, KWAN, the agency that handles Freida’s endorsements in India, said: “It’s a policy never to comment on brand deals. We’ve witnessed Freida’s phenomenal growth in such a short span, and that too on a global platform. Brand Freida stands for very rare, unique and irreplaceable values and imagery, making her the ideal choice for a brand with a global appeal and an Indian focus.”

Freida made it big globally post her appearance in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire. Thereafter, she featured in films like You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Aishwarya, Sonam, Freida Pinto to represent India at Cannes

It will be an "Indian flavour" again at the prestigious Cannes Film festival this year with former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan representing the country for the tenth consecutive year.

Aishwarya, along with Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor and the Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto, will light up the Red Carpet for L'Oreal Paris at the Cannes Film Festival to be held from May 11-22.

It is for the first time that L'Oreal Paris will have three spokeswomen representing India at Cannes, a testimony to India's growing influence on the world stage.

Making the announcement, Vismay Sharma, Director, Consumer Products Division, L'Oreal India, said, "On the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, we are delighted and proud to have Aishwarya, Sonam and Freida representing India and L'Oreal Paris at Cannes. They represent the diversity that is India and are sure to be the epicentre of attraction at the festival." Aishwarya, who celebrates a decade of representing L'Oreal Paris at Cannes, will like previous years walk the red carpet on May 11 for the opening ceremony and attend the Opening Gala cocktail and dinner while attending various events at Cannes the next day.

On walking the Red Carpet at Cannes, Aishwarya, one of the best known faces of Indian cinema globally, said, "Being at Cannes for L'Oreal Paris has been an absolute pleasure and to experience this for the tenth consecutive year has been quite overwhelming. I thank the L'Oreal Paris team and the Cannes Film Festival for inviting me every year to represent India at one of the most glamorous red carpets on the world platform, celebrating cinema, showbiz, beauty, diversity and excellence.

Several countries have always had more than one L'Oreal Paris spokeswoman at Cannes and I'm glad India is finally getting the same recognition. I am happy that with Sonam and Freida, both beautiful women, being invited to the festival this year, India will have a stronger presence, which is a clear sign of the growing importance of the country."

Freida Pinto 'not recognised in Mumbai'

Freida Pinto has admitted that she was not recognised in public during a recent trip to her hometown of Mumbai.

The actress returned to the city alongside boyfriend and Slumdog Millionaire co-star Dev Patel in order to visit the poorer areas with a charity organisation but said that the residents did not acknowledge her.

"People in the city recognise me as the girl from Slumdog Millionaire, and inevitably they stare. But when I visited the slums with an NGO, nobody recognised me at all. I didn't mind," she told the Sunday Times.

"As for Dev they hounded him, calling him crorepati, which means millionaire."

I wouldn't want to do a Bollywood film

"Slumdog Millionaire" star Freida Pinto has ruled out plans of starring in Bollywood films as she is interested in more real cinema rather than the song and dance routines.

She has been offered several "stereotypical" roles for "a girl from India" since finding fame - but she's adamant she will avoid parts in all-singing, all-dancing Bollywood movies, contactmusic.com reports.

"I wouldn't want to do a Bollywood film per se, but I would like to do an Indian language film. For some reason I think Bollywood has become synonymous with commercial cinema, which is song and dance and everything that is larger than life. I am interested in the reality," she said to a magazine.

"It is great to have entertainment, but I think there needs to be something that also makes you want to go back and think about what you've seen," she added.

"Mindless cinema is not my cup of tea...I could get into trouble for saying that. I don't think Bollywood is only mindless cinema, but a lot of films they churn out are not films that I completely enjoy watching," the actress said.

"I say hats off to them for doing what they do, because it takes a lot of courage. It is easier to stand and deliver dialogue. Imagine dancing a song out and kind of expressing through it. I think it is a challenge and requires you to lose your inhibitions," she added.

Pinto 'favours indie over Bollywood'

Freida Pinto has said that she would rather do an independent Indian production than a Bollywood film.
Speaking in an interview with Blackbook Magazine Pinto said that she isn’t avoiding Bollywood but believes India has better films to offer.

"There are some amazing films in India, made on a much smaller scale, that don’t get the same appreciation as the big Bollywood films, and I’ve never understood why," she said.

The Mumbai-born actress added: "Those are the films that I want to be a part of, so I’m just waiting for something like that to come my way, and I’m telling you, I’m going to grab it with both hands."

The Slumdog Millionaire actress is currently working on French director Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Black Gold which also stars Antonio Banderas and Mark Strong.

I will say yes to good Bollywood script

Freida Pinto has revealed she would star in an Indian film but only if she "loves" the script.
The Slumdog Millionaire actress said that the same rules apply to all roles she is offered, whether they are from Hollywood, Bollywood or anywhere else.

"Quite contrary to what people believe, I haven't said yes to every international script that has come my way. I have said no to quite a few," Pinto told IANS.

"Similarly, unless and until I fall in love with the Indian script, I will not do it."

The 26-year-old recently starred in Woody Allen film You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and will soon be seen playing a Palestinian journalist in Rula Jebreal's Miral.

Frieda Pinto desperate to play role that 'kicks ass'

Frieda Pinto has revealed that she is desperate to play a harder type of role that ''kicks ass''.


The 25-year-old actress made the admission in the November issue of Britain's InStyle magazine, as she posed for a flirty and feminine photoshoot modelling the season's latest lacy looks.

“I keep playing the damsel in distress. But I’d like to kick some ass!” the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.

Pinto shot to fame as the love interest in Slumdog Millionaire and can soon be seen playing a similarly feminine character in Woody Allen's upcoming romance You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger.

Freida Pinto on starring in Woody Allen’s film

Indian actress Freida Pinto, who is starring in new Woody Allen directed movie You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, has revealed her on set experience.

Pinto, 25, revealed that she was very comfortable working with Allen, 74, and that he gave her much leeway to improvise on the script.

“You cannot predict what will happen and what his style of directing will be like,” the New York Daily News quoted her as saying.

“Everyone told me that he was going to be very quiet and very elusive and that he was probably not going to talk to me. But that wasn’t the case at all.

“That’s the amazing thing about Woody Allen. He doesn’t want you to follow the script like it’s the Bible. He wants you to be flexible and bring your own flavour to a character.

Pinto was asked whether she has gained more confidence after working with Allen.

“This film pretty much marked the peak of my confidence. If I could work on a project with a legendary director like him, then I don’t think there’ll be any other challenges that come my way that I can’t handle!” she added.

Frieda’s Venice

Often it takes just one movie to get the red carpet unrolling, flashbulbs popping and Champagne dizzying your senses. For India’s Frieda Pinto, that one film was Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, a work that was as intensely hated as it was passionately adored. Some called it a masterpiece, some said it celebrated India’s pathetic poverty. The Greek master, Theo Angelopoulos, walked out the screening merely 15 minutes after it had started, and described Boyle’s film as shameful and pornographic.

But Miss Pinto as Slumdog Millionaire’s Latika caught the eye of the world, even if she was not raved about in her home country. Not that she was particularly out of the ordinary in the movie, though she won a Screen Actors Guild Award and got a BAFTA nod for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. However, the fact that Boyle chose her to play an important character made all the difference, particularly after the film garnered eight Oscars, including those for Best Picture and Best Director.

For Frieda, the moon was there for the asking, and she asked for it, but not before she had ditched her boyfriend (Rita Faria did that as well after being crowned Miss World in 1966, the first Indian woman to clinch the honour) and cuddled with Dev Patel, who as Jamal had essayed her lover in Slumdog Millionaire.

Then came Woody Allen with his, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger. As Dia, Frieda got to rub shoulders with performers as distinguished as Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin and Naomi Watts. It was not a great part for Frieda, but the Allen work went to Cannes last May. And once you are there, you have but made it, really.

Now Frieda’s movie is at the ongoing Venice Festival: Miral, a Franco-Israeli film by Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) that is part of the Festival’s prestigious Competition. I must say, Pinto is marvellous as Miral. She has now turned into an actress, the allure of modelling, the heady feeling of being called to work with Boyle and Allen seem to have slipped off her shoulders. As Miral, she is a schoolgirl living under the constant threat of Israeli-Palestine conflict. Though holding an Israeli passport, Miral is a Palestinian, and she truly believes that she is one.

Inspired by the life of Palestinian born, though based in the West journalist and author, Rula Jebreal, who wrote the book and the screenplay, Miral, Schnabel’s film explores the Middle East conflict through the eyes of the schoolgirl. A seven-year-old Miral comes to a boarding school for girls orphaned by the bloody war. She has just lost her mother tragically, and her father feels that she would grow up best in the school.

Till 17, Miral lives a life secluded from the troubles outside. But when she is asked to teach at a refugee camp, a shock awaits her, and she is gripped by a sense of anger, frustration and revulsion. The movie goes on to tell us how Miral overcomes her personal dilemmas, including her love for a political activist, to eventually become a journalist and author.

The story begins in 1947, when Israel was born. Roughly three decades later, Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass), a wealthy woman moved by the plight of orphaned Palestinian girls, opens a school firmly believing that education alone would help them cross the hurdles of life.


Gautaman Bhaskaran
We are then introduced to two other women: Fatima (Ruba Blal), a nurse turned terrorist-killer, and Nadia (Yasmine Al Massri), who is forced to flee home and become a belly-dancer after being raped by her father. Fatima places a bomb in a cinema destroying many lives, and is jailed for life.
Nadia finds a kind husband, gives birth to Miral, but that does not stop her from turning into an alcoholic and killing herself. The man takes Miral to Husseini’s school. Finally, Husseini helps Miral get over her political ambitions that could have only spelt disaster for her.

In many ways, Miral is truly Frieda’s film, though it tends to gloss over very serious concerns. Issues like terrorism and, of course, Palestine run very deep, and the screenplay, I feel, appears somewhat like a lost child in a crowded bazaar. It does not know where to turn to. Schnabel’s creation, like the child, desperately seeks to touch upon many questions confronting the region, but ends up as a rather shallow effort. Israeli atrocities on Palestinians and West Bank colonies have all been run through quickly and unsatisfactorily.

Admittedly, Schnabel steers clear of dramatising the work, and ends on a very lovely note of the Oslo peace talks that inspire Miral to travel abroad and become a journalist. It is precisely this note of hope that Freida as Miral helps keep alive – and push it forward. In a very restrained performance, she shines, and holds out the promise of entertaining us with some great fare in future.

By: Gautaman Bhaskaran

"Rise Of The Apes" Workers

Kicking off another work day, James Franco and Freida Pinto were spotted on the set of “Rise of the Apes” in Vancouver, Canada.

The “Slumdog Millionaire” babe and the “Eat Pray Love” stud looked to be enjoying themselves as they chatted in between scenes.

“Rise of the Apes” is an origin story set in present day San Francisco, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

Also starring Tom Felton, Brian Cox, and John Lithgow, “Rise of the Apes” is scheduled to hit theaters June 24th, 2011.

Vancouver Vixen

Out and about on a beautiful day in Canada, Freida Pinto was spotted in downtown Vancouver on Sunday (July 11).

The “Slumdog Millionaire” beauty looked cute in black leggings paired with a black jacket and a bright yellow shirt underneath and was reportedly heading to dine with an unidentified producer from her latest project “Caesar: Rise of the Apes.”

In other news, Ms Pinto’s “Slumdog Millionaire” co-star and real life lover, Dev Patel, recently opened about working with his lady again, saying that it won’t happen.

The “Last Airbender” star admitted in an interview, “We laugh too much around each other now. It would be too awkward."

Freida Pinto will miss Cannes festival

Freida Pinto will not be attending the Cannes International Film Festival as previously reported.

The actress was due to appear at the festival with the rest of the cast from Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.

However, she is now unable to walk the red carpet because she has shooting commitments on another movie.

"This is to confirm that Freida Pinto unfortunately will not be attending the Cannes Film Festival as she is shooting for Immortals in Canada," Real Bollywood quotes her spokesperson as saying.

Immortals, directed by Tarsem Singh, is due for release in 2011.

Freida Pinto In People`s Top 10 Best Dressed List

British actress Kate Winslet led the pack of People magazine's 10 best-dressed women of 2009, with US first lady Michelle Obama chosen for 'best accessible glamour.'

Although the list does not have numerical ranking, Winslet, 33, who won an Oscar in February for playing a dour Nazi in The Reader, was deemed to be the best-dressed woman on the red carpet on 2009 with her unique brand of sexy sophistication, modern Hollywood glamour and those enviable curves.

People named Reese Witherspoon as having the 'best short dresses,' High School Musical actress Vanessa Hudgens as best hippie chic and Freida Pinto, the Indian star of Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, for having the best use of colour.

Brad Pitt, Twilight actor Robert Pattinson, and Bradley Cooper of The Hangover and Nip/Tuck fame were among the best-dressed men of the year. People said their attention to details like a scarf, pin or skinny tie took their looks beyond basic. Teen country singer Taylor Swift was dubbed 'best sparkle.'

The annual best and worst-dressed double issue also acknowledged the impact on fashion of the Emmy-award winning TV series Mad Men, set in the 1960s, whose cigarette pants and sheath dresses have inspired new designs by Michael Kors and Tory Burch.

The People magazine special issue also looked at some of the fashion flops of 2009. Former American Idol judge Paula Abdul and actress Renee Zellweger were cited as having the worst red carpet dresses.

Singer Jessica Simpson's January appearance in unflattering high-waisted 'mom jeans,' which triggering a heated debate about weight issues in Hollywood, was among the "most memorable moments of the year," People said.

People's choice of the Top 10 Best-Dressed Women of 2009 are:
Kate Winslet - Best Red Carpet
Vanessa Hudgens - Best Hippie Chic
Reese Witherspoon - Best Short Dresses
Cameron Diaz - Best Jeans
Michelle Obama - Best Accessible Glamour
Freida Pinto - Best Use of Color
Taylor Swift - Best Sparkle
Nicole Richie - Best Maternity
Beyonce - Best Street Chic
Kim Kardashian - Best Bikinis.

Finally, Freida Pinto admits she's in love

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Freida Pinto

For the first time, Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto has confessed that she’s in love with Dev Patel .


So much newsprint has been used up speculating about Freida’s love life. That she dumped her Mumbai-based fiancé after the release of the film was confirmed by the man himself, but neither Freida nor her ‘Slumdog’ co-star Dev Patel came clear about their relationship, even as Anil Kapoor , who played the quiz show host in the film, said in February that he suspected that something was going on between Dev and Freida. The rumours of a brewing romance between them were all but confirmed when the two were spotting cozying up at a restaurant in Israel and shopping for a ring in London.
Even Dev’s mom could not keep the secret and revealed to a tabloid that she was happy about Dev and Freida and that they looked good together. Now, Freida has broken her silence and confirmed that her friendship with Dev has reached another level – love. “The friendship blossomed after the film, it got even stronger. This is all new to us,” the Sun quoted her as saying.

Freida Pinto and Dev Patel a couple, says Patel's mom

Dev Patel’s mother, Anita Patel, has confirmed that her son and his Slumdog Millionaire co-star Freida Pinto are an item.“Freida is really beautiful and I am really happy for them," said Anita, who added, "Yes, we knew he was flying to Israel to see her.”Pinto, 24, and Patel, 19, were recently spotted on an intimate lunch date in Israel where Pinto is on location for the French-Israeli co-production, Miral.“They looked very happy together and they didn’t seem to care who saw them,” said a onlooker. “ Dev couldn’t take his eyes off her and she couldn’t help cuddling up to him.“They kept staring into each other's eyes. They were certainly acting like a couple, despite what they have both said. When they left the bar they split up and tried to act like they weren't together.”Patel is currently filming for M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender, a family fantasy adventure.Freida will next film for Woody Allen helmed untitled project headlining Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Josh Brolin and Naomi Watts.

Post Slumdog... Freida Pinto is India's ultimate cover girl

Just months ago she was a virtual nobody, but with the eight Oscar sweep by her debut film "Slumdog Millionaire", Indian model-turned-actress Freida Pinto is now hot property for magazine covers.Being the obvious new darling of Hollywood, Freida has also become a much in-demand magazine cover girl back home for obvious reasons, reports dailymail.co.uk.The actress will dominate the newsstands across India in March, with men's magazine Maxim opting to put her face and knock-out body on its cover, as will women's magazines Cosmopolitan and Vogue.Basking in her new found success, the 24-year-old, who has described her meteoric rise to fame as a "dream", also appears on the cover of industry bible Entertainment Weekly alongside her co-star from the underdog drama Dev Patel.Posing for the covers didn't come hard for the actress as she started out her career posing in advertisements for products like Wrigley's Chewing Gum."I used to anchor a travel show in India, which is clearly not acting, and I had done a little bit of modelling. Both of those things helped me with the camera," she said.Freida, however, always had acting at the back of her mind as a career."I always wanted to act in films, but in India it's very difficult to become an actress if you haven't got a godfather - someone with influence, always a man, in the industry to help get you into auditions."But I didn't need a godfather for 'Slumdog...' I just went along, did the audition with Dev and then Danny picked me," she explained.Despite the success of her first film and her passion for acting, she is not sure of her career in the profession."I have no idea whether acting is a future for me, but I would like to do more film work. The reaction to 'Slumdog...' has been beyond my wildest expectations."In what will be only her second film, Freida is now lined up to star in Woody Allen's next alongside Hollywood stars Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts and Anthony Hopkins.Filming will start in London this summer.