Indian Media Loves to Hate Me:Freida Pinto

Credits: Daily Telegraph

Freida Pinto on why she often gets negative Press in India.Here is an excerpt from her Interview to Daily Telegraph(Australian Newspaper):

Pinto admits to still occasionally calling Mumbai by its former name out of habit - something that hasn't gone unnoticed by the Indian press, who can be rather unkind about their glamorous export, mocking her accent and saying her skin is too dark for Bollywood . Pinto tries not to let it upset her.

"I've realised they're cruel about everyone," she says. "They love to hate and make other people hate as well, which is sad because most of the stories they come up with are so untrue or misconstrued".

"I don't have a Twitter or Facebook account because if I did, I'd be constantly using them to justify what has been written about me in the press. It does get frustrating sometimes, but you just have to let it die down."

Despite being one of the most popular Indian actors in the world, Pinto feels she's not taken seriously there. She puts that down to the fact many Indians haven't seen much of her work. "The only film of mine they've probably seen is Slumdog and it's not as loved in India. " Some accused the film of being patronising to India and propagating stereotypes, and there was widespread controversy about the children in the film being underpaid. "There was a bit of a backlash about it," she admits.

On her Career Choices:

However, as an Indian actor, she's aware there are plenty of roles she's not even considered for. "Ideally, I'd like to do a mix of independent and big-budget films," she says. "But it's hard for people to visualise an ethnic minority actor in a role that isn't specifically written for one, so I'm trying to break through that barrier. It's not easy to get all the roles I'd like, but it's fun trying to make people see it differently. I love the challenge," she insists.

PS: She is recently cast as an Italian and Iranian in her next two hollywood films