 |
|
Rrrrrrrrrrrr. |
Earlier this week I read a salacious article claiming that innocent little Latika
The star of Slumdog Millionaire has been hiding a secret husband whom she ditched after the film became a hit, it was claimed today.
Freida Pinto, 24, is said to have married Rohan Antao at a ceremony in Goa in December 2007 but last month ended their relationship. The couple were previously thought only to have been engaged… Their relationship appears to have foundered in the wake of Slumdog Millionaire’s success. Pinto, who plays the main love interest, was nominated for a Bafta and the film won a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a cast.
It is claimed that Mr Antao, a Mumbai-based executive, supported Pinto during filming but ‘she just stopped calling him’ at the time of the Golden Globes this year, according to reports today. [Link]
If you check out the picture of Mr. Antao you can’t help but come to the conclusion that the poor chap never had a chance. In reality you can only date so far outside of your attractiveness league and the fact that guys like Salman Rushdie have a lock on the statistical outlier category means that the Rohan Antaos of the world are headed for disaster. Then I read another article yesterday that got me to re-think this all a bit. Perhaps Frieda is innocent and Antao is possessive and delusional.
Rohan gradually started to feel their relationship slip through his fingers as she spent more time away from him–jetting round the world promoting the film with gawky 18-year-old Skins star Dev.
He went on: “I didn’t go with her. I had my own work to do and we weren’t supposed to be seen together. She told me it was a requirement, so I had to get on with it.
“But it was all too much too soon for her. She was staying in five-star hotels and being driven by chauffeurs–it was quite a change.”And she was always with Dev, doing press publicity. They certainly did a brilliant job promoting a film about a couple in love! I knew there was chemistry between them, but she said she had no feelings towards him at that time…”
But Rohan’s frustration boiled over when Freida was again with him at the Toronto Film Festival last September.<
p>He sent Dev an angry text message questioning: “You do know she is engaged, don’t you?” Dev never responded.
<
p>Rohan went on: “I asked Freida to spend less time with Dev, but she refused. She was comfortable with him, and we were talking over the phone less and less. I was ticked off with Dev–and her.” [Link]
<
p>
So why do I suspect Rohan might be making up details of Frieda’s supposed infidelity? Have you actually seen Slumdog? I can’t think of another recent movie in which there was so little chemistry between the two main characters. It is the reason Slumdog is an above-average movie instead of a great one. If I was having an illicit affair with Ms. Pinto offscreen you better believe I would behave like a bear on a bunny in my scenes with her on camera. My passion would bleed through when I screamed “Latikaaaa…” or did that little dance at the end. Dev Patel, throughout the film, had the blank expression of a boy who had popped his “juice box” too early. He didn’t show the confidence or poise required to handle the bombshell in the photograph at the top. I think in reality Rohan probably got increasingly jealous as he saw his girlfriend blow-up internationally and the whole Dev thing was just made up in his mind. Either that or Dev Patel will propose on stage tonight and prove me wrong.
Yeah but winning Miss World in a nation hungry for any kind of worldly recognition kind of helped her along, and she’s been trying to crack Hollywood as part of virtual Indian royalty first as an actress and then as a Bhachan. And yes, other successful Indian actresses will come along, that’ll be great.
Aishwarya is good at what she does in Bollywood though, no doubt about that.
Aishwarya Rai’s problem (in Hollywood) is that she does not look “indian” enough. Which is ironic because it is precisely for the same reason that she is hailed as the most beautiful woman in india. Also she has zero charisma and is a very mediocre actor – so no help there. So why would Hollywood hire an indian actress who looks white ? Freida Pinto on the other hand is deliciously brown.
“Freida Pinto on the other hand is deliciously brown”
Yes. There is no doubt she has that radiant (yet “dusky” by Indian celluloid standards) tropical look- very naturally beautiful. As people above commented Freida is very Padma Laxmi-esque in her looks. Straight up hotties…
Freida:Rohan = Aishwarya:Vivek?
The Woody Allen project will tell us a ton about where Freida is headed long term. If she can throw down some acting chops, show range, or at least mimic a rauchy blowjob (that scene with Julia Louis Dreyfus) she might actually get respect.
Do you ever notice that the Indians who get fame in the west tend to be darker than the Indians in Bollywood?
Nope. It just means homeboy is ASIAN. We delay our gratification in favor of focus, studies, hard work and career. That’s why we are successful with whatever tools we have at our disposal. Even our “slumfolk” are innovative go-getters who are always scheming to get ahead rather than wait for government handouts. By the looks of your website, you might do well to try some of that on for size (pun intended).
Thank You..
It irks me to see Aish and Amitabh drawn into this melee. Slumdog had the Amitabh effect woven throughout the theme. Who can forget the influence this man had during his peak? I remember as a little kid when India prayed for his well-being; united through class, culture, and religion as he lay in the hospital. Even today he has a strong presence. Sometimes even the cinema screen can come up with icons and national treasures. Hema, Rekha, Amitabh, Aishwarya, all belong to that league. They have worked hard to entertain millions of fans worldover. To me the slumdog effect is the reverse of the fantasy effect the Indian movie screen provides. To escape the harsh reality, the poorest of poor seek an escape, a solace in the darkened theaters. For the well-nourished, slumdog is as someone succinctly put it, poverty heaven. It is at the end of the day, one movie, a good one. But after slumdog, there will still be Bollywood. Freida, may she revel in the glory, has truly hit the jackpot. Just don’t compare her with Aishwarya. They are in different leagues. Aishwarya has proved that she can hold on her own several times. Freida is riding the slumdog wave on the shoulders of the kids, mumbai,rahman,and Boyle.