Freida Pinto is an Indian actress who starred as Latika in Danny Boyle’s 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire. She broke into acting by way of modeling, after earning a degree at Mumbai’s St. Xavier College. As the host of more than fifty episodes of Full Circle, a television travel show in Southeast Asia, she introduced viewers to exotic locales, but her big acting break came when she was cast opposite English actor Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire. Before being selected for Slumdog Millionaire, Freida anchored the international travel show, Full Circle on Zee International Asia Pacific in English between 2006-07. Besides this, she also featured in several television and print commercials for products such as Wrigleys Chewing Gum, Škoda, Hutch, Airtel, and De Beers. Runway shows and magazine covers are also part of her resume. She modeled for two years before meeting Danny Boyle and being cast in Slumdog Millionaire. After spending six months giving auditions for films, she got a call to audition for Slumdog Millionaire. She was short-listed and finally selected for the movie.
Pinto made her debut film Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on a game show and exceeds people’s expectations, arousing the suspicions of the game show host and of law enforcement officials. At the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, the movie won the Cadillac People’s Choice Award. At the 2009 Golden Globe Awards, the movie won four awards. Pinto has also been nominated for “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” at the 2009 BAFTA Awards.
