Mumbai-based model Frieda Pinto is on cloud nine as her debut film, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, has won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto film festival.
From the bylanes of Malad to accepting the People’s Choice Award in Toronto for Slumdog Millionaire, actor Frieda Pinto has leaped far, writes Prithwish Ganguly
Mumbai-based model Frieda Pinto is on cloud nine as her debut film, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, has won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto film festival.
The film is also said to screen at the London Film Festival apart from perhaps making the cut to the Oscar nominations. “It is unbelievable. I never thought that a 23-year-old from a suburb (Malad) of Mumbai would experience something so huge. Toronto was very special for me. I accepted the award on behalf of the cast and crew since no one was present that day. I gave an acceptance speech in front of distinguished people. I’m on top of the world,” says Frieda, who plays the character of Latika in the film.
Frieda adds, “ The buzz is that the film might go to the Oscars. Who would not like to walk the red carpet? As of now the Toronto excitement is just seeping in.”
Frieda says Danny (has made films like The Beach, Trainspotting and 28 Days Later) is a fine teacher. “The most important thing that he taught me is ‘never to over express in front of camera’. We Indians are very expressive and we tend to do the same on camera, which is bad,” she says.
Frieda and Dev Patel, who plays the male lead Jamal in the film, received some wonderful compliments in Toronto. “In one of the after parties people were calling us by our screen names and even said, ‘You guys are the next Julia Roberts and Richard Gere’. Some even compared us to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It was nice hearing such statements,” she reveals.
But Frieda knows that compliments come with responsibilities. “After doing a Danny Boyle film, you wonder what you will do next since you’ve already worked with the best. I want to outdo myself the next time I face the camera. I am really looking forward to working with perfectionist Aamir Khan,” she ends.
Slumdog Millionaire is a Hollywood comedy that also stars Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan. It revolves around a teenager who desperately tries to become a contestant in Kaun Banega Crorepati (the Hindi version of Who Wants to be A Millionaire) in order to contact a girl, an ardent fan of the show. The movie will release in India in February 2009.
g_prithwish@dnaindia.net
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