The Freida Files

It’s of course humbling to have your film receive a great response. But honestly,it’s hard to expect a certain response for a film. Many a times,as actors,we put in so much hard work into a film and then get let down by the way the film is received. It’s best to focus on the filming experience rather than the fate of the film,which I have no control over. I enjoy the process of filmmaking and believe in making every experience enriching.

Did you and co-star James Franco swap any Danny Boyle stories? Do share some.

It was obviously the best way to break the ice and indeed that was our very first topic of conversation. We did talk about our experiences of working with Danny but the subjects of our films were so vastly different that we were not expecting to have similar experiences. It was just an interesting conversation.

So how does one go about bagging a role in Hollywood? Can you share the process?

A lot is audition or reading-based and in my opinion,it’s a very normal way of earning a job. You pitch your performance and then the director sees it and visualises you in that character. If he thinks you can deliver,then you are on. Agents play an important role in finding scripts but that doesn’t stop an actor from doing his or her own research and looking around as well.

You recently made a comment about the politics behind Indian fairness cream ads. Any more nightmarish stories to share?

All I wanted to convey was that I believe the skin tone can’t override merit,talent and value. Potential and capability should be looked at before anything else.

You’ve found many fans for your style sense. How do you choose your wardrobe?

I have a nice team of people who work with me on my styling but I rely more on my instincts and hence,we can work together as a team. I have a say in what I wear and I do my own research as well. I pick things I’m comfortable in.

Is a Bollywood-Hindi movie on your radar?

Of course,I would love to do a film in India but that’s if you don’t consider Slumdog Millionaire and Trishna to be Indian films. I think of those two as Indian films all the way — we had Indian actors,a majority of Indian crew and most importantly,those were shot in India,focussing on an Indian story. I couldn’t have possibly used more of the word “Indian” in one sentence if I didn’t believe in the truth of it. I think the media has often misunderstood my stand on films in India. I have always said that doing mainstream films won’t necessarily be the right route for me as my interest lies more in the independent cinema of India. There are more than a handful of amazing directors today excelling in these kind of films. Indian films were never off my radar. I am just waiting.

Last Hindi film you saw?

It’s a bit late but I just saw Peepli Live and No One Killed Jessica on my airline entertainment system.

As a little girl,was acting always your big dream?

I have always dreamt of acting ever since I was a child. I never looked at doing a particular genre of film. I would just envision myself acting in front of a film camera. I was interested in cinema per se while growing up and was lucky to be exposed to cinema from India and across the globe,making me realise that dream. I wanted to be part of the magic of films no matter where in the world it originated from.