Unknown Delhi student picked to star in 'Life of Pi' 'broke fiancee's heart'

The former girlfriend of an unknown Delhi student who has been picked to star in Life of Pi has revealed how the teenager broke her heart.

Suraj Sharma, 17, was picked from 3,000 hopefuls to star in the Hollywood production by celebrated director Ang Lee because of his innocent face.

But Sharma's first girlfriend revealed how he had dumped her after first promising to use his earnings from the film to buy a house for them to live in when they were married.

Gyaytri Amla, 17, said they had been sweethearts throughout their teenage years until August this year when he ended their relationship.

The couple had known each other for six years and had been dating for four years when he emailed her in June to tell her about his imminent stardom while she was on holiday in Spain. He had proposed to her on her birthday in October the previous year, she said.

Amla said she had been upset when she first discovered he had won the part because he had not told her he had auditioned for it in Delhi in April. He said he would be away for a year during filming but reassured her they would continue their relationship.

"We dated for four years from the age of 13. We were madly in love. We broke up in August end this year. He is now gone for a year. I miss him everyday but we are not in touch. It's very hard for me," the Telegraph quoted Amla as saying.

They had met at Delhi's Sardar Patel Vidyalaya school, where teachers and school friends described him as a popular student who played pranks and was a passionate Manchester United fan. School principal Anuradha Joshi described him as "very creative".

His former fiancee said both hers and Sharma's parents were aware of their relationship, but his mother did not approve of him having a 'girlfriend.'

"For my birthday last year on October 7, he made a 'G' (the first letter of my name) with the help of 'diyas' (small lamps), made me turn around, went down on his knees and proposed marriage to me. It all happened in two minutes but it was a beautiful moment," Amla said.

"That he did not tell me about the audition did strain our relationship," Amla added.