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Freida Pinto opens up about racism and how girls are treated in India
On Bollywood
I was rejected by Bollywood for all kinds of things: I wasn't fair enough, I didn't look Indian enough or I was too thin (in a certain zone). In fact, someone wanted me to get some kind of a job-a plastic surgery-done.
There were very silly auditions that I had to go for. Every day I would be on the shortlist for auditions. And I would have a bad day, I would be very moody and on the edge. I remember one such audition where a girl walks into college and nobody pays any attention to her because she is not using a particular cream, a fairness cream-which I am completely against. Then she puts on the cream and all the boys in college turn to her. And I would be thinking: "Arrgh, this is so cheesy."
At the same time, I thought, "What would happen if I made it to the final list? Maybe that would be my ticket?" But deep down in my heart I always had doubts. And when you have doubts, you just say, 'No'.
On Conservative Indians
The views expressed by the rapists' lawyers in the film(India's Daughter) are shockingly harsh. "If you leave a diamond in the street, surely the dogs will take it," essentially meaning it's the victim's fault she was raped. How much have you encountered that view in India yourself?
I have encountered this actually. When I was shooting for my filmTrishna, I spent about two weeks prior to that in Rajasthan and saw this backward attitude amongst poor families as well as rich educated families. Some of them were even against their daughters riding a scooter because it was not ladylike and insisted that they get married off by the age of 18. These sort of people from the privileged class are impeding the real progress of women in India.
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