Freida Pinto’s career trajectory is not unfamiliar in its bare bones. She’s an actor who has come by her work through the well-trodden paths of college theatre, modelling and television. But she has landed somewhere quite special. Her cinematic debut is a lead role in the highly anticipated, much-acclaimed Slumdog Millionaire, for which she received plaudits earlier this year at the Toronto Film Festival and the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival in New York. In facing the camera for renowned British director Danny Boyle, maker of cult films like Trainspotting, The Beach and Sunshine, Freida joins the glorious ranks of actors such as Ewan McGregor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle Yeoh and Cameron Diaz. It’s a giant leap forward for the beautiful ex-travel show host, the fruits of a lifetime spent cherishing movie star dreams and months of putting life and soul into her role as Latika, a beautiful, plucky orphan who finds herself at the centre of an unusual and moving love story. The lissome 23-year-old is circumspect about future projects but seems to have an eye on Bollywood even as she basks in the jetsetting glory of her big ticket venture.

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