Life is what you make it, especially when it gives you a big dollop of luck along the way.

Ask actress, Freida Pinto, who was plucked out of absolute obscurity and catapult overnight into superstardom status as Slumdog Millionaire hit the world with unbridled success in 2009. Most of us witnessed it. All of us remember it. The little train that could, swept The Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Oscars and even ANOKHI’s Annual Awards Gala, where we honoured her amidst Toronto’s conveyer belt of media frenzy clamouring for a second or two of her time.

I remember reading once that Nicole Kidman told fellow Aussie friend and actress, Naomi Watts, that in Hollywood it only takes one success to change your life forever, and boy did it ever for Freida, who, at that life-changing moment, didn’t know to what extent fate would have it be. But she found out STAT ! Hollywood’s finest producers, directors and actors lined up to work with her, and she was up for the whirlwind that swept her up – hook, line and sinker.

Now, three years later and an impressive portfolio to boot, Freida gets ready to release IFC’s Trishna, an adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel, Tess of The D’Urbervilles, directed by Michael Winterbottom. When I emailed her that I was on her roster of media interviews, she emailed back almost immediately, stating: “Raj I’m so glad u will watch the film. I’m v proud of it.”

So we met again, three years later, this time in the Big Apple: First at the Tribeca Film Festival screening, second at the after party at Stoli, and third at her hotel, The Regency, where we finally got to talk about her incredible journey so far.

Read On…

SINCE SLUMDOG. . .

You have had one hell of a ride since Slumdog. I remember meeting you three years ago right before you were flying off to the BAFTAs in London. You graced us at ANOKHI’s Annual Awards Gala in Toronto where we met for the very first time, when I also interviewed you for OPEN CHEST TV. This is the first OPEN CHEST cover story we’re doing together for ANOKHI Magazine, now that another very poignant movie you’re starring in, Trishna, has just been released. Before we get into the magic of what this movie is all about, I would like to take a few moments to lapse the past three incredible years you’ve had. Looking back from where you are today, what would you say has been the single most important effect of being a part of the Slumdog alumni as it relates to your professional journey so far?

I think it has everything to do with the fact that the film existed and got made, and I got the opportunity to be in it. It has everything to do with every professional choice I have made so far. First of all, for just being plucked out of absolute obscurity into being pushed into this whole new world of the red carpets, interviews and meetings with producers and filmmakers, all of which requires an immense amount of confidence. And if it wasn’t for this push into the deep with Slumdog, I wouldn’t have learned everything I did so quickly. It was the crash-course effect that has brought me this far. More than anything else, this film gave me, gave India, visibility like nothing else before. People are always interested in India; they have always respected films that came from India, like Satyajit Ray films to be more precise. But people never really explored cinema from India outside of the way it’s perceived traditionally. The way that India can now finance its own films, and finance Hollywood films as well, has totally changed the dynamic in India and abroad. We have the infrastructure to provide for it now, and powerhouses like the Ambani group that is working with Spielberg, for example, and the various specialty tudios set up like the animation studios in Bangalore, are just two moves forward of the many that are transpiring right now. I believe things like this have become more possible because of the success of Slumdog, and as much as people would like to not credit that in India, I feel they are just doing that because they don’t know better. I know it’s the case because I have experienced it first-hand. Everyone wants to do something now in India because Slumdog made it possible.

Do you feel that this crash course you were put through really set you up for knowing how to handle the Hollywood machine, because from a visibility, big productions and momentum standpoint, you’ve done a better job than any Indian actor, male or female before you?

You know what it is? Even when I met you I was in a very fish-out-of-water kind of situation. I had no idea about the magnitude of it all; I just kept going with it – with the perspective that only good will come out of it. Looking back, the one thing that kept me going was hope that somewhere down the line, all of this would get me my next project, and I feel through the process of having that hope, I found the right team. That was very important to me, as it is now, because you cannot survive in Hollywood or even Bollywood without the right team. In India, they don’t have the whole agent, managers and assistants systems, all of which is really important, although they do have an infrastructure, but nothing like in Hollywood. I was fortunate that I was able to get the right team, and because I had the right team, I got the right backing to push my career forward – the right dos, don’ts and advice, so to speak, to help me survive and, hopefully, excel in Hollywood. Also, I’m very grateful for the kind of discretion that my parents have passed on to me – the power to decide what is right for me and what is not. The combination of all of this, as well as the person I knew I was before I got into this industry, has gotten me where I am today. I realized very early on how easy it would’ve been to lose myself in it all because it’s actually a lot easier to lose yourself than keep yourself contained. I guess the way I was brought up, whether it was the culture or traditions, I remained grounded.

You know, it’s interesting you tell me about the fact that being grounded on a personal level has helped you professionally speaking, so let me ask you: What has been the single most challenging aspect within your personal space that has been the most challenging transition for you to adjust to since being catapulted into the limelight? How, if at all, have you overcome it?

The problem arose later, as soon as Slumdog got done. I never knew what it felt like to face criticism, especially to face negative criticism. That was hard to deal with almost to the point that it broke me down for a while. I had my sister and my really close friend in London say to me that if I don’t learn to deal with it, this industry is not for me, so I need to decide right now what I’m going to do before it’s too late. They said that I should pull out right now if I’m going to cry over this, but if I have the strength, to keep going. (Pause) I’m almost crying now just thinking of it. Sometimes, it’s too hard; it affects me and hurts me. Sometimes people say things that are so rude or quote me out of context. A whole bunch of people have misunderstood me. (Pause) I started seeking solace in the fact that I am not the only one going through this and that so many celebrities go through this also. It affects your morale, your performance, the way you deal with people. Mulling over what someone else said took me a while to get over. I think now I’m in a better space.

It’s interesting you say that. Look at celebrities like Lady Gaga. The tremendous amount of publicity and success she has had in such a short period of time and doing it her way, has prompted an incredible amount of fan support as well as an incredible amount of criticism and perpetual chatter in an industry where people are always saying that it’s far easier to go with the status quo instead, which isn’t always a place of artistic integrity and authenticity for an artist. Therein lies the struggle. It’s interesting to note that her way of remaining authentic to her art is to not read anything that’s written about her. She said in an interview with Oprah that she does this because “they” don’t get to decide whether she is or is not good at what she does.

I agree with you. I admire her. She has broken all boundaries and given pop a new definition. People make these unfair comparisons between her and her predecessors, which I think is not fair because they don’t factor in that she reinvented the wheel and has made it famous. I guess, like you said, Lady Gaga doesn’t bother picking up newspapers, therefore, she doesn’t get pulled into a space that will dilute her art. I’ve read the most stupid rumours about myself, but today, I’m like, “thank you for giving me the laugh of my day!”

It’s a healthy way to look at it because what’s said today is forgotten tomorrow anyway. Tomorrow brings with it another thing to talk about because that kind of media earns its living that way.

Sometimes it’s good and I need to hear what they have written because I want to laugh at them and say, “You guys are such idiots!”

All performers at one point or another face negative criticism for their performance, and are unravelled by it because they had felt that they had done a great job and given it their best. You allude to this. Which was the movie where you experienced this?

Miral! I felt that I gave it my all; it was only my second film. I had an amazing director who guided me through it. It was his vision that I was basically fulfilling and I felt I did everything I could, whether it was learning a new accent or learning about a new culture. I got this amazing opportunity that people can’t stop picking apart because an Indian played a Palestinian. I’m like, “Seriously? That’s all that you got out of the film? That’s all that matters?”

Well, if that was the criticism, then it’s OK.

Well, that was the criticism, as well as them saying that I couldn’t carry the film. It was very mixed – negative in some cases and positive in others. It was really polarized criticism. It was when this happened that it really broke me. I felt like people wouldn’t want to give me another chance. It was because I started basing everything on what I was reading, which was wrong because afterward, I followed it with two massive big-budget films. I guess you can’t do much about it. Amazing actors in the past have done amazing jobs and you read some critics who tear it apart and I’d be like, “Seriously? This is an amazing actor; how wrong you are.”

At this point in time, do you feel your professional and personal balance ratio is aligned?

It’s always shifting. Balance is just a term for us. Actors are such crazy people. We have the balance and just when we have the balance, we happily destroy it by playing a character that makes us completely crazy. (Laughs) We are constantly playing around with our own balance just by default of being actors. I like the concept of knowing that I want to have balance, and I feel, as far as the concept goes, I am more secure now. Maybe also because I remember emailing you saying that I am very proud of this (Trishna) film, and you said that it’s always a positive testament, when it comes from an artist, that they are proud of their film. And I guess that’s what I want to aim for.

We would have nothing else left to do in this lifetime if we were consistently balanced. And it doesn’t make for an interesting mindset within life’s journey if you don’t have some ups and downs.

It’s like bland food.

Absolutely right! Let’s take a look at your professional roster over the past few years from Slumdog to Trishna, which has been loaded with big-name producers, directors and actors. The Weinstein Company’s Miral; Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes with James Franco; Black Gold with Antonio Banderas; Realitivity Media’s Immortals with Mickey Rourke; You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger with Anthony Hopkins and Josh Brolin, directed by Woody Allen. Apart from the stellar names associated with each film, it’s interesting to see that you played roles from every genre of film, in which you have also played varied characters. Is this deliberately done because you’ve avoided being typecast, which is usually the strategy of new actors – to repeat a formula that has worked for them and the public are familiar seeing them as?

Maybe subconsciously I wanted to do different roles than what I’ve already done. Also, it’s very difficult finding roles for ethnic-minority actors. Sometimes I think I should grab every opportunity that comes my way, but I haven’t, and many times I have let go of opportunities because I didn’t feel they were the right opportunity for my career. The big-budget films I’ve done like Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and Immortals, I had small roles in, but I felt there was something to learn from the experience, especially from the intricate technological standpoint – how to face the camera and how to ensure I hit the mark due to the large budgets associated with these films. But honestly, it is far more daunting to be in a small budget film than a big-budget one because the pressure of hitting your mark and not wasting money is far more consequential.

Immortals was a smart decision because your role was integral to the plot unfolding, similar to your role in Slumdog.

Yes, it was. In Apes, my character in the movie was cut from what was in the original script. They cut quite a few of my scenes, especially the ones where I put up the fight. When I read a script, the thing I look for is that if I pluck the character out of the script and the script still continues to flow just as normally as it would, that character is not for me. I need the character to affect the film in some particular way, even if it’s small. In Immortals, my character is the one who guides the main character on his mission. She is the one who knows that he is the chosen one. That was pivotal for me.

Getting the role of Phaedra was quite the feather in your cap. Tarsem Singh is a great theatrical director.

I guess Tarsem gets due credit for it, although he reluctantly met me; he did not want to meet me.

Why?

Because he felt that he didn’t want someone to think that this was going to be a Bollywood film of sorts. He didn’t want to work with a fellow Indian for that reason. I was like, “that’s so racist.”

Well, I do understand his point regarding the specific genre of his film, but on the flipside, my experience has taught me that as soon as South Asians get to the next level in their careers (not referencing Tarsem and clearly not referencing you, or else we wouldn’t be sitting here today), they pretend they’re not brown. They don’t want to do ethnic media, wear ethnic clothes, or be associated with anything remotely ethnic from a creative standpoint. I don’t really get why, because one look at them betrays their ethnicity, or at least that they are of some ethnic background. You’ll never see other ethnic actors do that, be they African or Spanish. They proudly support their own.

It’s interesting that you say that, Raj, because that’s what I thought first when Tarsem didn’t want to see me. But when we did in fact meet, the first thing he said to me was, “Do you expect your face to be covered in white paint?” He was against the whole concept of whitening my skin tone. He even said to makeup: “If I see her skin tone changing in this film, I’m not going to be happy about it. That skin tone is what I love.” In fact, he made the boys come down to my skin tone as well. They had to go to the tanning room and they had to get all this paint all over them. (Laughs) I was the happiest person on set, and they were not, saying in jest, “We hate you. We had to go to the tanning booth because of you!” (Laughs)

I want to bring you back to the idea of typecasting because history has proven that sustainable success relies on a certain degree of it. For example, Angelina Jolie typically plays provocatively strong characters; Johnny Depp tends to favour theatrical-centric roles. The formula more often than not works, so although you haven’t consciously worked on developing your type and justified why that is the case, if you were to be a type, want would your type be?

I think after this film (Trishna), it’s going to be hard for me to play a passive role again. I see myself playing a very strong female character, not necessarily an action role kind of thing, but a socially relevant strong female character. I would love to be typecast as that. A friend said beware of the choices you make, the next time they want someone who gets raped, or goes through a tough female situation, they will come to you, and you don’t want to keep doing that over and over again.

Point taken. So the goal, I’m assuming, would be to make decisions that make sense for your career, and not just what feels right.

Exactly. I have found a way of doing what I really like, whether its charity work, meeting people, inspiring women. I can still do things that are important to me but it doesn’t always have to be on camera. There are things of value to me beyond my career as I’ve stated here.

What would be your dream role?

I absolutely loved Charlize Theron’s role in Monster because the film is called “monster” for a reason. It’s one of the most amazing roles in history. This beautiful actress let herself be physically, mentally and emotionally transformed into this character that was perceived by the rest of the world to be ugly on many levels, while all she wanted was love from this girl. I feel that would be so painful to portray, not to mention how Charlize got back into shape after that. I saw her at the Oscars collecting her Oscar for best actress for this role, looking picture perfect.

TRISHNA. . .

Let’s talk about Trishna, the most recent addition to your filmography with a theatre-wide release across North America in July, and the reason we’re meeting here today. Shot in India and directed by Michael Winterbottom, the film has been poised as a modern day adaptation of the Thomas Hardy classic, Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, but with a great Indian twist. Tell me about the Indian angle adaptation and why you feel it works.

When Michael said he wanted to adapt this story to India, it was like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle just came together in my head – 19th-century modernization and urbanization in England was not much different to the same in 21st-century India. There are many advancement parallels. The rural population in India and the issues being faced today are very similar to England at that time. What Trishna goes through is the same challenge that Tess went through – it’s not just technology, education and modernization, but the love angle and associated plight that has been translated over. The transplantation from 19th-century Essex to 21st-century Rajasthan is so brilliant. Absolutely genius!

Having read the book myself, and having watched the movie now also, the main similarity between the two, in my opinion, are that both are exploitations of innocence due to the socio-economic cultural conditions that you just talked about, highlighted through the indicative gender gap, which is always the big focus when you’re dealing with imbalance in these kind of areas. Both stories talk about young women who are taken on a journey from purity to desperation to redemption – from weakness to strength. Do you agree? And would you like to shed light on any other themes beyond those I have mentioned?

I think you have touched upon the premise of the movie so beautifully. You can connect to it so well because you understand the culture. Some can understand it well, but some are not well-travelled, so it’s hard for them to relate to it; they don’t find it convincing.

The story is so indicative of a certain frame of reality.

Yes, and the thing that I feel Thomas Hardy did with the novel, which Michael has so beautifully translated over, is the exploration of the sexual double standards. The fact that a man can do but a woman cannot, making her no longer chaste, is very well documented in the novel and the film. The fact that her action is seen as family dishonour, therefore, she is dirty while the man can go around doing whatever he wants, happens in India still today. We all know it.

And it will continue happening because of the socio-economic divide that makes its home in cultural expectations. That gender struggle will never go away because of this because it all comes down to power, politics and money.

This is why women are always treated the way they are. If only people would realize that educating themselves will change this because once they are educated, they become strong, and in turn, they can teach their daughters to become strong. This is the only way that generations of the cycle will end. When I raise my kids, I know what I am going to tell them, which, in turn, I hope they will tell their children and so on, because in my family, the cycle is broken, if it at all even existed. Where Trishna is concerned, she is trying to find a balance in between because, (A) she loves her family, which is uber-traditional, and (B) she has hope for a better future than that which her predecessors have lived. Her modern thinking, although silent in words, is loud in action. Trishna’s lover Jay, on the other hand, even being educated, doesn’t make the attempt to understand how his actions and sexual double standard means serious consequences for Trishna. He just keeps doing what he does. In that sense, he is weak while Trishna is strong.

I totally agree. What I found with Jay was that he was selfish, always considering his needs at the expense of Trishna and hers. He never recognizes that Trishna, too, has feelings because he’s so consumed with his own. The very fact that his actions keep changing Trishna’s circumstances is a testament to this – most prominent in that part of the film where he makes the decision to return to the restrictive environment of Rajasthan after exposing her to the liberated world of Mumbai. I feel that this decision by him, to succumb to his family’s needs and go against what he wants for himself, is the turning point in the film, and for him and Trishna – for him, losing himself; for her, finding herself. His loss and resultant actions is what creates that irreproachable disconnect between himself and Trishna where, finally, Trishna becomes proactive after a long journey of passivity throughout the film.

Absolutely! There is no turning back for him because he lets the demons just take over, which forces Trishna to become who she does by the end of the film.

Now that we’ve discussed the parallels between the novel and the film, let’s talk about the differences. One distinct difference is that Tess’s virginity was taken from her, whereas Trishna appears to have given hers freely, albeit reluctantly. Also, Tess’s death was due to external forces whereas Trishna’s was not. Why do you think that the film adaptation introduced these two contrasting elements?

It’s also implied that Trishna gets raped. The reason why Michael left this open-ended – is something he wanted to leave up to the audiences. You’ve picked it up as consensual while others have picked it up as rape because she came home crying.

I saw this as her post shame for succumbing to an act that is not condoned in the culture, because prior to, she clearly consents to kissing Jay.

I think that she didn’t know what she was getting into since she’d never been touched that way before. So, as much as she loved the guy and she went for it, I agree with you that the shame of doing something that traditionally is not allowed before marriage is why she cries afterwards. This is very befitting of the cultural taboo conditioning that is indicative of the gender double standard within our culture.

Absolutely! (Pause) There are a lot of intimate scenes in the film.

Yes!

These I’ve categorized into three phases – first, her loss of virginity phase; second, her sexually healthy Mumbai phase; third, her sexually demoralizing Rajasthan phase. If you were to take everything but the sexual interplay away from the film, due to how well these phases have been documented, the audience would still get the journey that Trishna goes on throughout the film. This was so well done!

I’m so pleased you got this Raj, as not many people so far have. The only thing that changes the dynamic between Trishna and Jay, as we talked about earlier, is him losing himself. It’s what changes the whole dynamic of intimacy.

The role is clearly the most challenging one that you have faced so far as an actor.

Yes.

Tell me how this has changed you as an actor, because there are always poignant roles that change and elevate actors to that next level, similar to life’s journey in general.

You’re 110 per cent right! In many ways, and I have never told this to anyone before, I’m just telling you, I view Trishna as my first film. It is my genesis. Knowing that everything I’ve done in the past has helped me get this film, and everything I do in the future will be defined by what I’ve done in this film, because this exploration of character has given me a new openness and a new understanding to what my craft is all about.

And what is that?

Learning how to base things on instinct as opposed to pleasing your director or pleasing anyone else, for that matter. That is, basing things on instinct and losing inhibition, which is the hardest thing to do.

Yes, you’re right! When you have a slew of cameras positioned at every angle of your anatomy and people telling you how technically you need to move, and you need to emote what you are supposed to be emoting in that interaction, that has got to be the most challenging thing to do effectively as an actor.

It is, absolutely, and that’s why I say this film was pivotal to my growth and confidence as an actor. I believe that the intimate scenes helped me be a better actor because I didn’t care about a single freaking camera in the room when I was performing those scenes. I don’t want to care about the angle I need to give to the director; let him come tell me that. My focus was on ensuring I created authenticity in my performance.

Wow! Now that’s what I call true liberation and power as an actor!

Yeah! Because I am just going to do it the way I like to do it. I am sure I’ll do my best technically as well, but no longer am I going to think of that as my focal point. Even in Trishna, so many times I was aware that this way of doing it was definitely going to be better. I was very nervous of the intimate scenes before but now I’m really confident, thus able to give it my all.

Why should people watch Trishna?

For many reasons. I feel it’s one of Michael’s greatest works. More importantly, I think we are exploring the fracture that exists in human relationships. It’s not necessarily everybody’s story. It’s not my story for sure. I would hate for it to be my story. I feel Trishna is a beautiful, dark, romantic exploration of human relationships, which regardless of personal experience, everyone would appreciate a peek into.

There are a couple of parallels between Slumdog and Trishna that I’d like to address. Both films are universally relatable in that they explore how life’s restrictive circumstances can cause pain and anguish, as well as hope and salvation; both were directed by British directors; both saw their premiere at Toronto International Film Festival; both have you in it!

Yay!

Do you think Trishna has what it takes to also parallel Slumdog’s success, in terms of its critical acclaim, because you can never know if people will resonate to it on a mass scale; heck, who knew that would be the case with Slumdog?

It has all the ingredients, but the big difference between the two is that Slumdog was a feel-good movie; Trishna is not, so that factor alone will have a huge impact on whether people will go watch it in droves or not. Having said that, the dark factor didn’t deter people from watching Monster, so let’s see.

I guess it’s all in how you perceive the notion of “dark.” I feel that because Trishna finally gets to make a decision about her life by the end of the movie, that fact alone gives the film a lightning bolt to extinguish the dark factor, but that’s my perspective.

I love that! In a critical sense, because of Michael’s previous works and his extensive repertoire, people are going to want to critique this film microscopically.

Well, people are already saying fabulous things about the film and your part in it, so that alone is promising.

Yes it is. And I’m so proud of it!

FASHION, STYLE & BEAUTY. . .

Freida Pinto has become synonymous with exemplary fashion, style and beauty.

(Laughs)

Everyone knows that you’re one of L’Oréal’s coveted ambassadors. Give me one beauty secret that is a Freida Pinto staple.

I have such boring beauty secrets. I keep saying water and sleep. When I’m rested and hydrated, I feel charged and just keep going. It helps the way my skin and eyes look. It’s as simple as that. And I have added a new thing which is kind of important in all our lives but we don’t give it much importance — breathing.

You are very cognisant of what you wear and what you perceive to be the right fashion statement for yourself. What do you look for in fashion and style?

People know I love fashion; I love dressing up. What they don’t know is that I’m very happy to wear clothes by new designers as well as known designers. The one thing I look for when I pick a dress is that it should be an extension of my personality, whether it’s in the colour, the form or the fit. Most importantly, I look for comfort. If I’m not comfortable, because I’m constantly twitching, adjusting, picking and pulling at my clothes, I know that dress is not meant for me.

And that’s why you always look so effortlessly chic. That’s how I define your look.

Thank you, Raj; that’s a compliment, especially coming from the head of an international fashion and style magazine.

I speak only the truth.

(Smiles)

THE WOMAN. . .

Define the woman you are.

I think I am the modern day Indian woman who still values the traditions she was brought up with, but also appreciates the values of courage and liberation of today’s woman. I have found the balance between the two of them to take it one step further.

Where do you draw your strength from in moments of challenge; where is the place you go to?

I go in, and the reason why I go in is because when I’ve gone out, I’ve found myself facing new challenges rather than solving the ones at hand. My impulse is to go out but my gut is to go in.

Six must-haves in a man…

1. He has to be tall, and the reason why I say that is because everyone in my family is super tall. My dad is 6’2”and my sister is 5’10”. I’m the shortest one in my family at 5’5½”.
2. He has to have a really good sense of humour. I don’t mean a sense of humour that is putting down other people – not sarcasm. Very happy, happy humour.
3. He has to have a good sense of style.
4. He has to be able to give the best hugs. I’m a very huggy person.
5. I like being cuddled but he needs to know when to back off and not smother me. It’s hard to find someone who can do both because most are one way or the other.
6. He should be sensitive to topics that are important to me, like socially relevant topics. I want someone who will be able to understand why I feel a certain way and not dismiss it. Someone who makes an effort to try and understand why something affects me.

Five must-haves in a friendship…

1. Someone who doesn’t treat you differently based on your highs and lows.
2. A person who will put me down, in a good way, in order to ground me — someone to tell me like it is to my face; be honest.
3. Someone who likes travelling with me.
4. Someone who likes talking for ages.
5. Someone who listens.

Four words that best describe you…

1. Stubborn…but in a good way.
2. Obsessive-compulsive.
3. Loving.
4. Vulnerable.

Three things you can’t live without…

1. Cellphone.
2. My iPad.
3. Whatsup app.

Two people that are most important to you…

1. My parents.
2. My sister.

Tell me one thing about you people would never guess about you.

I am gullible.

What’s your star sign?

I am a Libra.

The sign of balance!

Most of the time. (Smiles)

Not a dichotomy like me then?

I can be. I’m human, remember?
(Smiles)

First published in The Health & Wellness Issue, July 2012, www.anokhimagazine.com

Photography by Keystone Press Agency
Cover Credit: Jonathan Miller/Chilli Media

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