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The Curious Case of Freida Pinto
Credits: Little India First things first. Seldom, if ever, has any actress invited such a range of strong reactions — from total indifference to wild raves — or projected such an intriguing image in the public domain as Freida Pinto. The 27-year-old Slumdog Millionaire star who shot to international fame in 2008 after the film garnered monster global acclaim and a clutch of prestigious awards, including the to-die-for sweep of the coveted Oscars, ironically remains largely unsung and unknown in the land of her birth. Bollywood junkies in her hometown Mumbai are amused and bewildered by the raves the Mumbai-born and raised, Mangalorean Catholic continues to receive from respected critics and esteemed directors abroad. Theater director and filmmaker Feroz Abbas Khan [Gandhi, My Father] is one of them. “For me, Freida Pinto is a spectacular accident, a dazzlingly lucky by-product of a hugely successful film that grabbed popular imagination I have to admit that, like most, I remain mystified by all the attention she is receiving from the West. Strictly, as a director, I find absolutely nothing in her that is either extraordinary or interesting in terms of personality, talent or looks. She appears like someone available by the truckloads anywhere in suburban Mumbai! In Slumdog too, what great shakes did she do? I am sorry, but I just don’t get it …” Fair enough, but obviously Hollywood did and does. Internationally revered directors like Woody Allen, Julian Schnabel and Jean-Jacques Annaud sought her out for their projects, such as You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger; Miral and Black Gold. She featured prominently in the list of Most Beautiful People, Top 99 Most Desirable Women, Most Stylish Women, Most Beautiful Faces in the hottest glam mags there. On the acting front too, she scooped up a slew of prestigious awards and nominations — BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild, Palm Springs International Film Festival, MTV Award for Best Kiss! — to support her glam, exotic image. Khan acknowledges it all but suggests that most of it probably has to do with the “flavor-of-the-day” factor. He believes that in the West [read: Hollywood] the color white is not as hotanymore [Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Antonio Bandera] and so someone like Pinto is cool and just what the doc ordered. Dusky, slim, flashing eyes, wide mouth, she symbolizes eastern exotica, full-on! “Also, the Slumdog effect should never be underestimated. Its incredible success, the magic that its poverty-porn pitch created among mesmerized viewers in the west, its stark, raw realism … and in the middle of it all, her character Latika, petite, fragile, with her quiet charm, all lost in love in a violent, ugly, cruel world… Danny Boyle’s sharp eyes for what sells in the west catapulted the film into a different stratosphere — taking Freida Pinto along! The fact that nothing of this kind remotely happened in India is indicative of the way we perceived and consumed the Slumdog Millionaire phenomenon here, as opposed to the west.” However, Khan is quick to give credit to the young star for the way she’s handled her career. “Post the Slumdog tsunami, she’s kept her head, read the writing on the wall, got herself great agents — along with getting lucky with some A-list filmmakers and marketed herself brilliantly. Today, I think she’s aced both Ash Rai Bachchan and Mallika Sherawat in the Hollywood race by miles! Full marks to her. In such an insanely competitive market, to carve a niche with such modest talent, is indeed fantastic and I mean it as a compliment.” Cut to India and Bollywood. Three years on, after Slumdog Millionaire, its amazing that nothing of any sigifnicance has come from Bollywood, her home turf, even after all the accolades and awards from the biggest and best from their baap, Hollywood! She has been quoted as saying: “Back home they don’t really know who I am and probably don’t take me seriously as an actress. Yes, I did get a few scripts to read but have never been approached directly by any major Bollywood Film-maker to do a film. Frankly, I don’t think I fit the bill … the image of the typical heroine. Hollywood has definitely accepted me more willingly than India. I am not famous there. I don’t get mobbed or chased around!” Critic Saibal Chatterjee, however, is delighted with her predicament and thinks that God has been extra kind to keep Freida Pinto away from Bollywood. “She’s been incredibly fortunate in not having to do anything with the masala factory — by accident or design — because that would have ruined her completely! They’d tart her up, get her to sing, dance, maybe do an item number — the new disease — sensationalize her Dev Patel connection and offer her nothing more than an ornamental role, totally without substance. Thank god for the color of her skin which also must have played a part. The Katrinas and Kareenas are fair-skinned and Pinto is spot-on when she feels she could be a misfit in that environment. Agreed, not every role she’s done in the west is meaningful and solid, but look at the banners, projects and buzz that these films created and of course the name and reputation of top line directors! Can you compare Karan Johar or Adi Chopra with Woody Allen?” Chatterjee believes that Bollywood is losing by not inviting and leveraging this international star’s talent, like Western directors have. “Problem is that these Bollywood guys are so one-dimensional, tunnel-viewed and complacent … thrilled with their Bodyguards, Singhams, Band Baja Baraat and Zindagi Na Milega Dobara! They have no interest or knowledge of what cinema, even commercially, can do. No wonder, beyond the Diaspora, no one gives a damn about the B-town products. When was the last time we ever won awards and acclaim — with a global not Asian audience — at a big-ticket international meet? Ms. Pinto should ignore Bollywood totally if she wants to grow as an actress — both in stature and star-power She should never feel bad that it didn’t work for her, in masala-land. Never ever!” Khan counters: “She is unlikely to ever attract Bollywood directors, because she neither has the glamor and sex appeal of a Kat, Karena or Priyanka or the power-house talent of plain-Janes’ like Konkona Sen Sharma, Shahana Goswami or Vidya Balan. She’s right — where will they fit her in? It’s a different scene in the West, because their vision and perception of good looks, sex appeal and stardom in cinema is different.” At the end of the day, can’t win ‘em all. Did Naseer Shah, Irfaan Khan, Om Puri, Ash Rai Bachchan, Mallika Sherawat, or earlier, Kabir Bedi, Victor Banerjee or anyone who ever went to Hollywood ever make it big? No. Freida Pinto is India’s biggest export to hit Hollywood. Anirban Das, managing director of Kwan, the management company handling Pinto’s endorsement in India, is categorical that “we’re not pitching her as an Indian girl in international films. Freida Pinto is a global face.” Presently, riding the global success of her super-smash hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Immortals , which have already grossed over $479 million and $125 million(in 2 weeks) respectively , and with Trishna and Black Gold to be released soon, the girl from Malad is well past slumdog millionaire. She is reportedly open to an interesting Bollywood script, but is skeptical about their reaction and attitude to her global stardom. As for not making it big in the local industry, she needn’t lose too much sleep. She can rest assured that somewhere, sometime, most female stars of any worth in B-town — if they are brutally honest — will wonder what Latika Pinto has that has made her such a global hottie, that she doesn’t. Then, recovering after being suitably buoyed up by chamchas, flunkies, fans and other cutlery, she will put on a mask of superiority, arrogance and condescension to sneer: Freida who? But that is set to change because Pinto has just inked a two-year endorsement deal with a fashion apparel brand for $7 million, the highest any Indian female celebrity has been paid. Gushes Kwan’s Das, who handled the endorsements. “Brand Freida stands for very rare, unique and irreplaceable values and imagery, making her the ideal choice for any brand with global appeal and Indian focus.” Cry your heart out Bolly babes!
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Okay, This person is all over rediff,jj,pv,youtube writing the same exaxt thing! You need to go visit a pyschologist. You are obessed over a useless actress who no one cares about.
You know nothing of Hollywood. Alot of the stars DO have the proper training which is why they are succesful and big stars. Alot of them study hard and well and learn the proper techniques of acting. What BS are you talking about?!
Freida is not a top star, and never will be I am sorry to say. Talent over beauty anyday. Its quite clear she doesn't have any acting training to last in Hollywood.
Also, I have seen you say you are not indian. SO then how come you know every single detail of bollywood and seem to have zero knowledge on Hollywood? You don't know anything and need to do something about your obesseion. Good luck with it
I'm so happy Freida Pinto didn't do any Bollywood movies. That would have discredited her in the west so much. As "beautiful" as people consider Aishwarya Rai to be, she has too much Bollywood baggage to ever make out in the west. The fact that Freida came from India as an ordinary person is the exact reason why Hollywood has accepted her. Hollywood, unlike Bollywood, is a global industry. They have foreigners join their ranks everyday. From Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightley, Sofia Vergara, or even Adriana Lima, all of these FOREIGN females are accepted in LA because they didn't come with any tags or baggage. They were normal women with a larger than life dream. Bollywood actresses on the other hand have so many tags attached to them already. Being a major star in India and then trying to make it in an entirely new industry is very difficult. Especially if you are known for a certain kind of cinema it's very hard for filmmakers to probably envision Bollywood actresses as doing anything else. Freida was a blank canvas. She also had a chocolate complexion that can be diversified to portray several different ethnicities on screen. All in all, Freida Pinto made a very smart move when she chose to stay away from the haggles of India.
Mon, 2012-02-27 14:44 — Anonymous: good points. yeah.. it's true that India remains divided over the color.. where the lighter folks act like the British memshaahhibs, whether their fetures are thick, tileted, etc.. does not matter. it's not right-- but the lighter u are (still), the better you're considered the the 'herd thinking masses'. not everyone though-- so don't sterotype.
however, disagree with you that Freida would be accepted in South Indian movies. oh.. come now, South India has its' own fairness is better: they import North Indian heroines and the South Indian heroines are pancaked lightened too. it would be worse, as they still don't prefer thin women either (they prefer voluptous, fair with chub type cheeks)...
it's not just one region .. though yeah, generally, there are regions which feel 'superiorr'.. (and around Europeans, guess they feel inferior). and you can bet that most people in power care a damn about the color- isssue-- as so long as they can marry a fair complexion person , it's not their problem..
I can bet my bottom dollar that half the people who are hating on Freida Pinto posing as Indians are the punjabis and Pakistanis. As someonefrom Delhi/Bengal, I can name a lot of producers who wouldn't agree with Mr Khan. Moreover, who the hell is this guy. He has made one friggin movie. But then , the biggies in Bollywood (The johars and Chopras) have the same punjabi/pakistani mindset of beauty.
Sad but true. I remember a few Punjabis who used to say the MOST degrading things about dark skinned Tamilians and Biharis (as if they were sub humans) He was just a few shades lighter but he had the mentality of a british Babu. I guess that part of INdia has been f-ked up by the fair skinned oppression. Well, My state was also f-ked up but we didn't turn into self-loathing White-skin-loving slaves. The first thing paksitanis say against Indians is "kaloos, darkies" JUST like the British used to say before 1947! They suffer from the worst case of "Uncle Tom" syndrome. The ironic fact is that some of there are some beautiful people from bengal, Orissa, Andra and Kerala and the coastal states. I have seen some mallus with dark skin who have the sexiest swimmers bodies and dark eye lashes that can make a cow jealous. When i had gone for a trip to Kerala, I had to stop staring at these guys. I would rather date such guys than an obese a-hole whose only "good" look is a fair skin.
Anyway, Bollywood is dominated by these self-loathing Punjabis who think we have to look like hollywood actors to be called beautiful! If Freida Pinto goes to south INdian movies, she'll be accepted. Screw bollywood.
Freida Pinto is better off staying away from bollywood.
it never pays to bash anyone.. and that includes Aish, Frieda or anyone.
why is this whole Freida vs. Aish thing? both have different paths. One (Aish) is a legend.. Freida is a starlet. both are nice. stop the fighs
surprised by the hate on her
Thu, 2011-12-08 12:56 — Anonymous
he he he! we Indians are mad that Freida a dark skinned natural beauty is representing India on International level, we would be much happier if someone like aish with bleach skin and surgically exaggerated features and dipped in white make up, see how Indians bash Frieda and call aish "national treasure" goddess and world's most beautiful woman even though aish doesn't represent a Indian women and is a embarrassed for whole Indian nation.
Spot on.
Freida is clearly neither here or there. Hollywood is a giant struggle.. but it looks like the Indian doors are closed. With a lot of unwarranted backlash and very little support from the Indian community, how will she make it ahead?
oh wow.. there are people who hang out on the international blogs all day long, just to badmouth her.. and this is desis. such hate.
gosh.. .. she must now really really just work her talent up. seriously. If shes' smart, she's gotta realize that she's out there all alone in the big bad world of Hollywood.
The biggest thing to consider is people have totally forgotten that beauty is relative-- and it's all an opinion:
The fight (furious) over whether Frieda is really pretty (and therefore deserves stardom) or average (and therefore deserves to be a domestic help) is almost comical. Comical because it's the same 'my way' is the only way, that causes fights in religion, etc. etc.
To each is own...... a lot of Indian-origin people (nri and form India) think she looks like an average person coming from the wrong side of town.. a fruit seller, domestic worker .. etc. etc-- because that's what they grew up with and associate that as 'ordinary'. Because of political correctness, very few mention that ummm... she's not fair looking, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that among our community, fairness is a big component in making a woman have the title of beauty.
But leaving this aside.... they are further furious when the ones they consider pretty are found plain by someone else. One of our friends say-- if you take the nephews here from NYC to Delhi, likewise, they mistake a lot of the biggest UP/Delhi belles who are considered great catches and beauties vyying to catch millionaires, as so-so and looking like common plump plain-jane cafeteria workers in their universities. So it's all relative.
Now the thing to realize is everyone has some special beauty about them. Sometimes, it's overpowering and they are big stars for it. Sometimes its' subtle. But ultimately, it's all an opinion and taste, not 'facts'.
Want proof that beauty is relative to someone's tastes? Here is what a reviewer said about Freida, in Trishna. Simply put, he thought she was too upper-crust looking to play a rural type of girl:
"Her looks make her an easy casting choice, but hers is an aristocratic beauty: she doesn’t look cut out for manual labour, or even waiting tables."
And you can bet, this is going to make people FURIOUS that this guy thinks Freida is an aristocratic beauty. How dare he.. doesn't he know types like her wait tables in her nation??
Well, it's time that we see the beauty in all - and more importantly realize that those you may be looking down on may in fact be the most beautiful person of all to someone else. Isn't that what was said of Latika in SMD?
Jessica Simpson is a country music star.. not an actress. she is lovely.
she is not a talented actress , watch her other movies she pales in comparasion to her co-stars
What are you talking? Even in Hollywood they want vulumptutious women and buxom ones too.Not skinny or too lanky. Why else do we keep hearing about idiots like Jessica Simpson?
People are just zoning in on two things to indicate why she doesn't deserve stardom:
A) she's not talented enough and needs to be a better actress.
B) she's not glam looking enough..
first thing first: over 90% of starlets are not theater/school trained for acting before they enter the glam world of Bollywood or Hollywood. they get selected for their film based on their image, role ,etc.. and if it's a hit, they launch into publicity and stardom-- and then work on their talents.
so this nonsense that she's not talented enough should apply to 99% of the acting starlets, including most of the Bollywood actresses today. With the exception of Manya , most of them are talentless at the start- they work on it. Don't believe it? Watch your fave's star's first few films and you'll know what bad acting is.
second, she's obviously going for a next door simple pretty looks. if you find her average, fine. A lot people may likewise find the ladies you find attractive, unattractive too. Freida has a refined nose, wide-spaced eyes, high cheekbones-- and not everyone likes closed-set large eyes fuller cheeked docile looks, which is considered attractive for an Indian heroine. If she looks like a street person, then we should be thankful that the poor of India are probably the best looking people ever. looks are all relative to the local tastes and cultures (our friends who are in UP say: still up in UP, skinny size 0 is still seen as completely unattractive-- still ! and voluptous rules the day). so it's all relative.
None of these rules apply-- she's trying her luck out there.. and yes, many are relishing to see her fall. REally really relishing it, while hypocritically claiming jeasouly on other posts on their own favorite star,.
Thu, 2011-12-08 13:09 — Anonymous: yes, but unlike them, Freida found her stardom in the West.. not India. SMD is a Britsh film, filmed in India and about India. the rest were already established stars in India-- Aishwarya is a legend in India and doesn't need the West-- she never came crying back anywhere. She's at the top.
In Fredia's case though, she was a model in Mumbai and a struggler in Bollywood, which never gave her a break. People are right of the color barrier, etc. Her fresh sunny look did not fit the sterotype of the typical heroine, which is a pancake dolled up docile glam dancer type star. Freida can't come back to India- those Indian producers appear to hate her for making it. So she's struggling there and not fiting in India. If she's smart now, she'll do some theater acting and hone her talents, so she can fit in the West. She really should.. she is pretty but must be talented too, to make it out in the West.
Freida is a curoius case because she did not let labels define her.. she leads her own path. That's how it should be.. these producers have just opinions.
Indians represent over 1 billion-- and Indian women all look different. there should be different stars out there in Bollywood and Hollywood to show the diverse range of women . Freida shows the sunny natural looks.. simple & fresh. There are other stars who represent other looks-- and they have their niche and followers. t's all good: curly hair, straight hair, dark complexions, fair comlexions, dark eyes, light eyes, thin lips, large lips, high cheekbones, baby-faces, etc. etc. It's all Indian women's face and it's all nice-- and yes, Bollywood needs to act up on this and show the diverse range of beauties among the Indian people-- not just their select types which they label 'glamourous'.
Stop the labels , which limit! What if Vidya believed she was plain jane based on Mr. Khan's beliefs and decided to never accept her currently infamous role which made her a superstar? This 'plain jane' Vidya Balan went on to become the most glamourous star based on her last film- and a trendsetter. It shows proof that these labels do not work.
It's roles and feelings which define an artist, not these constricting labels.
she is not dark she is a chocolate shade , which is not dark
her changed acent lol , changed as in faking one just because she has a british boyfreind. I have freinds who moved to the uk from usa to be with boyfriends/husband and they have been living there for many years and never once picked up an accent. so hows does she have one?
Is he refering to the time Shipla Shetty was asked to pose with Freida and she was like "Who is Freida ? I don't know any Freida"
freida pinto is very overhyped yeah I agree, I don't like her fake accent , she says indian have an issue with being more white but why does she hide her real indian accent? I guess she must have an issue with being indian and not others.
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This is what happnes when an indian actor enters the west. They go in , act like clowns, perform in stupid movies, fake a europeon accent , get booted out and then come back crying to india. It happened with aishwarya,malika,gulshan grover and now freida pinto.
why does freido fake an accent? because she want to make people belive she is a great actress but she can't even do a proper britsh accent so I don't know what she is trying to do.....
It's public knowledge Freida has had voice training. That would be a waste of a buck if she takes those classes and sticks to her old accent. lol!
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I saw her on Jimmy Kimmel or Conan , she sounds sooo stupid! Like she is trying to mimic Queen Elizabeth or Victoira Beckham. Please we know she is from india , and if she took voice training lessons, it's not working , she should ask for her money back. "Oh rea-al-lly' !"oh abo-so-luhtly lol.My fake accent is better than hers.
he he he! we Indians are mad that Freida a dark skinned natural beauty is representing India on International level, we would be much happier if someone like aish with bleach skin and surgically exaggerated features and dipped in white make up, see how Indians bash Frieda and call aish "national treasure" goddess and world's most beautiful woman even though aish doesn't represent a Indian women and is a embarrassed for whole Indian nation.
It's public knowledge Freida has had voice training. That would be a waste of a buck if she takes those classes and sticks to her old accent. lol!
Rehka is beauitul ,why would you compare her to trash like Freida Pinto? She is a ditz who got lucky with her bad acting in one film and her atrocious accent is too funny! If you have heard her speak with this new accent , you would know what I am talking about!
to the anon below... continue to jump to conclusions. our comments had no Rai mentioned.. and we never compared anyone to the people you mentioned. could not even read beyond a few lines of your hysterical comments-- the seething venom is just too much for a simple post. you still think it's all one anon who writes every praise on Freida , don't you? no wonder you're in a tizzy fit rage.
this is a discussion forum and everyone can disagree and agree on topics. and anons are often different writers, so stop assuming things. pinkvilla allows name-callings and so go ahead and use your right to do that.. but in fact, we're not going to read your unnecessary comments - most of it full of nonsense and assumptions, and just a lot of venom. it's not doing you any good either to prove any of your points. keep it civil. once more, you can use this rage for better causes than to sneer at your fellow bloggers.
and yes, if people make comments like berating the poor, etc.... it should be called out. that's not causing a fight.. it's plain wrong and you should yourself fight those more.. rather than huffing and puffing at someone who is diagreeing with you.
and oh , pinkvilla-- for the satisfaction of this person who is in such a rage.. please print the location id of the IP addresses of all the comments (at least on this post)-- so at least he/she knows Ms. Rai was not mentioned in our comments. hopefully that will calm him/her venom down.
@Wed, 2011-12-07 12:23 — Anonymous
I like Aishwarya Rai but I am not hateful or use abusive langague towards the people who don't like her. Some people are immature and cannot handle these types of people, so they talk however they like and say rude things justto make themselves feel better.
aishwarya is more beauty than freida pinto who looks plain and ordinary
freida pinto is very overhyped yeah I agree, I don't like her fake accent , she says indian have an issue with being more white but why does she hide her real indian accent? I guess she must have an issue with being indian and not others.
Wed, 2011-12-07 12:23 :
who's bashing Ms. Rai.. . ?? confusing anons? delusional much?
looks like you are adding a lot of anons into one delusional villian anon.
if you want to argue with people over those who are berating the very successful Ms. Rai, go right ahead- -and for that matter, choose that comment to comment on. Do not confuse anons and start to go on rampages on them please. In no way, shape or form should anyone be abused... and that includes the very successful and enchanting Ms. Rai, Ms. Pinto or for that matter anyone else. let's be civil please.
very true she luks like she would clean a cows bum for a living