Freida Pinto has moved on from Slumdog Millionaire. She is playing a Palestinian girl in Miral and a lady in red in Woody Allens latest. At the International Film Festival of India in Goa,where You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger was screened,she speaks to Alaka Sahani about the Hollywood circuit but keeps quiet about Dev Patel. Did you discover something about Woody Allen during the filming of You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger? Many people think Woody is very shy. But he is not. He just speaks as much as is necessary. The most remarkable thing about him is his sense of humour. That kind of sharp wit and sarcasm is very typical of New York. Why are you wearing only red costumes in the movie? It was Woodys idea. It worked fantastically in the film. Since most of it was shot against the grey or brown backdrop of London,the red shade worked wonders. Woody has given my character,Dia,this interesting trait. He also shot me from beautiful angles like through the glass window. How involved were you in putting together the red ensemble? Not much. What I wore was a creative decision. I could only say if I was comfortable in it or not. But I am a very big shoe collector and have several pairs of red shoes. I suggested Woody use them in the film,which he has. Your character Dia vacillates between two men. Do you identify with her? A lot of people will relate to the way she looks at relationships and her confusion about what she really wants. I can be indecisive like her. It is normal for people to behave like that. Now that the film is releasing in India on December 17,what are your thoughts? Well,Im not tense about the movie since its main draw is Woody. He is such a legendary filmmaker and the audience should come and enjoy this nice comedy. Were you disappointed when you came to know you wouldnt be sharing screen space with any of its impressive cast other than Josh Brolin? When I came to know that I wouldnt be seen with Antonio Banderas or Anthony Hopkins,I was disappointed. But now,Antonio is acting as my father in Black Gold,a period film set in Tunisia. I believe that once you are in the international acting circuit,you will get to meet them. Your next international release is Miral. Whats your reaction to the objection to you playing the title role? I play a 17-year-old Palestinian girl. The controversy is over me playing someone of a different ethnicity. It is not that the people of Palestine are protesting against my presence. The film deals with a controversial subject. Mirals character is real. She is also the films narrator who talks about a journey that four women undertake. How challenging was it to play the role of a Palestinian girl? It was very challenging. But after working on the role for nearly one-and-a-half months,I started getting into the skin of Miral. It was a different and enriching experience to act in a Julian Schnabel movie. What are your other upcoming films? Im acting in the sci-fi prequel of Planet Of The Apes called Rise Of The Apes. I am also doing Tarsem Singhs fantasy flick The Immortals. You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger and Miral have travelled to film festivals. Do festivals help a film commercially? Festivals definitely help. Slumdog Millionaire is a fine example. It enjoyed critical and commercial success. Since film festivals are international events,people from different parts of the world get to see the movies. That increases the reach of a film. Despite your upcoming movie,you are still asked mostly about your debut film,Slumdog Millionaire. Does that bother you? Yes and no. I am so proud of Slumdog Millionaire. The film is going to be on peoples minds for years. Just like Titanic. However,I wish they would talk about my next project as well. After Slumdog,youve been globe-trotting. Which place do you call home now? Mumbai,it will always be my home. But I no longer have the luxury of visiting it as often as I would like to. There is a lot of speculation over your aversion to Bollywood projects. I want to clarify that I am not averse to Bollywood projects. I love watching Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Sholay. In recent times,I have found films such as Dev.D,Khosla Ka Ghosla and Omkara very impressive. But I dont want to do anything that I am not satisfied with. How have you managed to bag the best dressed and most beautiful woman tags? They sound phony. I wear whatever I like and am comfortable in. But sometimes,I need to get in touch with current trends. One can be comfortable in a pair of pyjamas and flip-flops,but I like to dress up. I always picked the best dress in my closet for parties,even before Slumdog happened. What is your best asset? My confidence. It comes from my father,mother and sister. Whats the status of your relationship with Dev Patel? Its my private life. I would like to keep it private.
