Is Freida Pinto the next Bond Girl?
Earlier there were reports in the media that the Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto, 25, would be the next Bond Girl, a report the actress has already denied. Now again there are reports in the mainstream media that two Bollywood actresses are vying for the first Indian Bond Girl as rumours spread that the next 007 film will be shot in India.
In 1983 the James Bond film Octopussy featured Indian tennis player Vijay Amritraj as Vijay, James Bond’s (Roger Moore) ally in India, who is eventually killed by henchmen of Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan), and Kabir Bedi as Gobinda, Khan's strong and loyal bodyguard. The plot centered on a cult of ‘octopus’ women on a floating island in Udaipur, the ‘city of lakes’ in Rajasthan in India. There were a lot of expectations among Indian audiences as the film’s story was partly based in India and it was partly shot in India. But according to reports, the fans were disappointed.
This time again, the producers of the film, to be directed by Sam Mendes, have been location-scouting in India, as the film’s story is believed to be set in Afghanistan in landscapes similar to Rajasthan deserts and the mountainous dry desert landscape of Leh and Ladakh in Jammu & Kashmir, close to the border with Tibet, and these locations look similar to many Afghan locations.
Freida Pinto, as said, was first linked to the new film in which Daniel Craig will play James Bond. Her Woody Allen-directed film ‘You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger’ is slated for release by end 2010, and she is believed to be the highest paid film star from India, though she is an international star having never acted in an Indian film.
Former Miss World and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai, 36, is also in consideration, Indian newspapers reported. But fans of the traditional Bond Girl may be disappointed as they may have to be contented with a sari-wrapped Rai emerging out of the Arabian Sea or Bay of Bengal, or an Indian lake, as Ursula Andres (Honey Ryder) emerges from the Caribbean sea (in Jamaica) in Dr. No. It is not to say that Rai do not wear bikinis, as there are many beautiful bikini photos of her, but she might now be hesitant to wear sweet-nothings and do steamy scenes with Daniel Craig, as a Bond Girl is expected to do.
As Rai, once described as the ‘most beautiful woman in the world’ by Julia Roberts, is 11 years older than Pinto, who was recently listed as one of the world's most beautiful women by People magazine, and Pinto seems to fit the age and beauty profile of a Bond Girl, reports say.
However, there is no official confirmation, as a spokesman for Eon, the film's producers, declined to comment, and these are just gossip that appeared in the media. But there cannot be smoke without fire!
Freida Pinto love-struck with Dev Patel
Pictured: Dev Patal and Freida Pinto at the 34th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards.
Freida Pinto is reportedly so love-struck with her Slumdog Millionaire co-star Dev Patel that she could not even take her eyes off him while she was at the Britannia Awards at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. The 25-year-old actress was surrounded by a host of admirers, but she batted them away only to focus her attention on Patel, New York Post reported, adding, "She only had eyes for Dev. They look like they are totally in love". According to sources, Freida turned away many hopeful suitors to be with her 6-year junior beau Dev Patel.
Danny Boyle, the director of the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire was also present at the event. He said, "I'm delighted for them, they seem to be real soul mates... and I'm sure more than that." He was surprised to know that the onscreen couple was also dating in real life, as he had no inkling of an impending romance between them despite working together for months while shooting for the Academy Award winning film.
According to reports, Pinto has completed her work for the film “Miral”, a Franco-Israeli production directed by Oscar-nominated director Julian Schnabel. Pinto has also been cast in “You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger”, a 2010 film written and directed by Woody Allen, and which co-stars Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Anupam Kher and Naomi Watts. According to The Daily Telegraph, Pinto is currently the highest paid actress in Bollywood.