From Nowhere to Stardom: Freida Pinto and Nazneen Contractor

Director Dann Boyle picked her out in the audition process to play the female lead, Latika, for his project Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. In a promo interview, Boyle likened spotting her to his discovery of Kelly Macdonald for Trainspotting.

"A celebrity is a person", said Fred Allen, "who works hard all of their life to become well known and then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized." A sign of celebrity is that his or her name is often worth more than his services. Freida Pinto made herself a household name in South Asian countries when she was a former model and television presenter. After making an impressive debut as the childhood sweetheart of a young Indian game show contestant in "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2008, she got a global recognition. It gave her unprecedented exposure to a global audience, which was near-universally charmed by her emotionally charged performance. It catapulted her to stardom overnight. The shower of accolades earned by the film during the 2008 award season seemed to indicate that Pinto would not have long to access the upper echelons of Hollywood and beyond.

She is a woman of 165 cm height with hazel brown eyes, lush black hair, who had her Breakthrough Performance award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for Slumdog Millionaire and also for her outstanding performance, she got Actors Guild Award. Her schooling in Carmel of St .Joseph School, Mumbai gave her a lot of positive vibes of life. She is non- vegetarian and her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, playing Tennis and reading books. In 2011, Freida's lighter skin tone in L'Oreal Paris advertisement attracted controversy as people thought it to be racial discrimination. While the cosmetic brand denied the allegations and claimed that the fairness came from the lighting effect of the product. Pinto said that she believed otherwise.

In 2017, she faced criticism for being a part of the British TV series Guerilla. It all happened during a special screening event of the show where a live panel confronted her over the 'erasure' of black women in her show. Reportedly she became upset after facing the allegations of the people who were present at the event. Apparently public accused the makers of the show of 'black erasure' and claimed that Freida failed to properly represent the black women in the show. Her boyfriends were Rohan Anfao (2003-9), Dev Patel (2009-2014), Polo Player Ronnie Bacardi (2016) and photographer Cory Tran (2017-2019) whom she finally chose as her husband. She had a pretty common trajectory for someone who harboured acting aspirations.

Among few facts of the life of this global icon who is well known for her love of nature and animals, one is that she loves staying at home where she enjoys inviting friends over and organizing her closet presumably to make way for her bundle of joy. She is an advocate for animal rights and is particularly drawn to conservation efforts focused on saving the Asian elephant. Her wanderlust reveals her love for nature and sounds of nature. She has many famous fans and it is known to many that Hrithik Roshan was very much impressed by her dancing skills in the movie Desert Dancer in 2015.

Freida is an adventure buff, an adrenaline junkie. Pinto takes out time to immerse herself in the outdoors – be it scaling high mountains with breathtaking views or rowing across jungle-waters. Her passion for hard work is reflected in her unparalleled zeal for workout game. Being an avid reader Pinto fills her Instagram with sassy caption from different books she reads.

Freida Selena Pinto was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India, to Sylvia, a school principal, and Frederick Pinto, a senior bank branch manager. She is from a Mangalorean family. Between 2006 and 2007, she anchored Full Circle, a travel show that was telecast on Zee International Asia Pacific. She went on assignments to Afghanistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Fiji, among other countries, gaining her big break when director Dann Boyle picked her out in the audition process to play the female lead, Latika, for his project Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. In a promo interview, Boyle likened spotting her to his discovery of Kelly Macdonald for Trainspotting..Surprisingly, Freida, who studied at Mumbai's St. Xaviers College, began taking acting classes though she has done amateur theater earlier after completing her debut film -- when she attended a three-month workshop by Barry John,

Pinto's life story is really charming as it is a journey from nowhere to the Oscars and today she is Hollywood's eye-candy. She has always been criticized for shunning the Indian film industry, but the actress claimed that Bollywood does not have suitable roles for her . One may love her or hate her but one cannot ignore her- that is the great point about her. Today she is rich having a property of 14 million dollars. She gave voice for Mira Royal Detective, Unity, and Girl Rising. She acted in Guerilla, The Mindy Project, Intrusion, Needle in a Timestack, Mr. Malcolm's List, Hillbilly Elegy, Love Wedding Repeat, Only, Mowgli, Legend of the Jungle, Blunt Force Trauma, Knight of Cups, You will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Rise fo the Planet of the Apes,Desert Dancer, Trishna,, Black Gold, Miral, and Immortals. She had Guest appearance in Access Hollywood Live, Charlie Rose, On Camera with Sam Jones, Today, Variety Studio Actors on Actors, Late Night with Seth Meyers , Harry, The Meredith Vieira Show, Tevis Smiley,Conan , and many other Shows. She hosted India's Nature's Wonderland. She was the producer of Girl Rising: Woh Padegi, woh udegi, she has directed You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Love Sonia and Day of the Falcon will never be forgotten by her fans. People still recall her role in Naanum Kodeeswaran.

For Actor Freida Pinto, getting cast in Pride and Prejudice, the period style romantic comedy was in many ways the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. A long time fan of both classic literature and British romantic comedies she jumped at the chance to star in a project that was an ideal combination of both. Once she told NBC News that she became a part of the movie. She admired 'Bridges Jones Diary' and various Jane Austen adaptations. She used to watch them over and over and loved the dialogue. They melted her heart. In Mr. Malcolm List she served as both the star and executive producer. For her Slumdog Millionaire was a mishmash of Jane Austen's Emma and Sense and Sensibility .These two novels were all- time favourites. Of course Pride and Prejudice was the best for her. Pinto notes that she personally had always been able to envision herself in the world of Regency England, simply because she had always immersed herself in stories about that era. As a student she read them in college days which she did not forget after turning to a model and actor. Pinto's life and career are both full of interesting events and her own personality too in spite of her fame, was so soothing. Henry Kissinger once said, "The nice thing of being a celebrity is that if you bore people, they think it's their fault." But Frieda Pinto is an exception because she never bored us.

Contractor, in the role of Rima Harewood, appeared as a devoted wife and mother facing extreme challenges in her family in the highly anticipated, Paramount feature film Star Trek Into Darkness.

When not working, Contractor is an avid runner and yoga enthusiast. She loves to travel the world, and her preferred method of transportation while in other countries is by motorcycle. She was also born into the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, and is one of the 150,000 Parsis in the world. Philanthropy is a huge priority for Contractor; she is a strong supporter of the organization 'Second Harvest' to feed the homeless, and 'Look Good Feel Better', supporting women with cancer.

Nazneen Contractor, the Indian- born actress who played Rima Harewood in Star Trek into Darkness, is now basking in the aura of global fame. Born in Mumbai on August 26 ,1982, she was raised and educated in Nigeria and London. At the age of ten, she emigrated with her family to Toronto, Canada, where she spent her youth studying classical ballet. She eventually turned to acting, finding success at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and Pericles.

In 2000, at the age of 18, she broke into television and over the years she appeared in such Canadian programs as Relic Hunter (2001) and Street Time (2002-3). In 2008 she was a regular cast member of the Canadian Crime-espionage drama The Border. Two years later, she had a recurring role on the CBS Sitcom Rules of Engagement. She appeared in four episodes of the series, including one with Alan Ruck. Contractor is best known for her role as Kayla Hassan in the eighth season of the FOX series 24 in 2010 alongside Necar Zadegan, who played her character's mother. Star Trek show runners Brannon Braga and Manny Coto were writers and producers on the series at the time.

Since then the spectacular rise of Nazneen started. She got roles in Lone Star in 2010 itself and then in 2011 in The Paul Reiser Show and filmed the thriller Seance : The Summoning in 2011. In 2012, fantasy television film Pegasus Vs Chimera also gave her a role and her stunning performance won her global fame. Prior to her appearance on Star Trek into Darkness, which released in India on 10 May 2013, Contractor had guest roles in episodes of XIII: The Series in 2012 with Stephen McHattie and Last Resort in 2012 with Autumn Reeser and Jay Karnes. Also in 2012, she won the Grand Award at the World Fest, Houston for Best Supporting Actress in the horror thriller Seance: The Summoning. After the Canadian drama series The Border finished production in 2009, she moved to Los Angeles, U.S. and married British-born actor Carlo Rota on April 1, 2010. Her marriage with her 24 co-Star Carlo Rota in 2010 is a significant event in the stardom lifestyle. They have a son and a daughter.

In spite of her happy personal life filled with conjugal bliss, she continued her acting life. In 2017, she appeared in the role of Jackie in Tiny House of Terror, in 2021 we see her stunning role in Trigger Point. In the same year she played the role of Chada in Spiral. She played various roles in different films. Her unforgotten role as Ire in the Episode 'Siren's Song' of Starhunter in 2000 caught the attention of the viewers. In 2001 her role as the dignified Princess Alia in the Episode 'The Star of Nadir' in Relic Hunter made her a most popular actress. In TV film The Matthew Shepherd Story, she played the important role of Shima. Who can ever forget Jasmine in the 2 episodes of Street Time in 2002 and also as Goldstein's female friend?

Since her youth she was attracted by Shakespeare plays. In 2008 she finally got the role of Bianca in a TV film Othello the Tragedy of the Moor. It spearheaded her fame and she was regarded one of the talented actresses of our time. But at the same time she was able to shift from the classical literature to popular film. The Border is the watershed of her career. In 2008-2009, she was given the main role as Layla Hourani in The Border. It was a stunning breakthrough in the second part of her career. Her role as Suneetha rocketed her to greater fame and the four unforgettable episodes of Rules of Engagement in 2010 were truly enjoyable in all places and for all ages. No wonder she got recurring roles as Kayla Hassan in 24 in the same year and this continued till 2011. Her versatility is astounding and she never got tired of her performances because acting was her lifeline. Princess Philony in Pegasus Vs Chimera, or Elsy in episode 'Battlezone' in XIII:The Series , or Reena Kapur in the episode 'Cinderella', Liberty in Last Resort or Jess in the two episodes of Revenge, that she is equally comfortable throughout the infinite variety of roles is incredible. In 2014, She was given the role of San Nazeri in the episode 'The Source' in the Sludge of Bones. She played it with her typical enthusiasm. In the same year, she enjoyed playing Mana Martinez in the episode 'Allegiance' in Person of Interest and Sydney Stephanie as a recurring role in Covert Affairs in the same year.

Very few actresses were that much skilled and spontaneous as her in shifting to varied roles in different films. She did a superb role again in 2015 as Sima /Fatima in the episode 'Charades' in Scorpion. Layla Nazif in the episode 'Private Eye Carambal' in Castle in the same year, catapulted her to fame and assured success for her. Her roles in the films are nearly uncountable but she never ignored her offers. With all passionate sincerity she continued her work.

After doing the role of Adele Marshall in the episode The News, of Stalker she accepted the role of Farah recurrently in Heroes Reborn in the same year. In 2016 she got the offer of Fahmida in the episode New Neighbours in The Carmichael Show and at the same time she did the role of Dawn Harper in the episode 'New Neighbours' of Chicago P.D. These two different films and two just different roles at the same time show her great acting talent. From Shakespeare play to crime thriller she could move so smoothly, the audience got stunned. In 2017 when she got the role of Nancy Ryan to play recurrently in Major Crimes, many thought she might not come up so successfully. But she again was at the helm of success. Subsequently, she played as Riya Dashti (voice) and Blindsrike as the main character in Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters. Zara Hallam as the main role was quite difficult for any actress in Ransom, but she did it so gracefully. This is true of her role as Emma Warren in Hawaii Five –O in the episode Aia iHi'kua I Hi'alo in 2018 still haunts us as her role as Synara San recurrently in Star Wars Resistance during the long period of 2018-2020. Her roles as Nahla Nasar in Law and Order:Special Victims Unit, Ashanti Avasarala in The Expanse , Kendra Adams in The Christmas Ring , Courtney in A Winter Gateway ,Professor Tricia in Letterkenny (TV series), or Dawn in Children Ruin Everything and Cristina in Hallmark TV Movie The Perfect Pairing are all remarkable for her coruscating performance .It may be recalled that in May 2013, Contractor, in the role of Rima Harewood, appeared as a devoted wife and mother facing extreme challenges in her family in the highly anticipated, Paramount feature film Star Trek Into Darkness.

When not working, Contractor is an avid runner and yoga enthusiast. She loves to travel the world, and her preferred method of transportation while in other countries is by motorcycle. She was also born into the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, and is one of the 150,000 Parsis in the world. Philanthropy is a huge priority for Contractor; she is a strong supporter of the organization 'Second Harvest' to feed the homeless, and 'Look Good Feel Better', supporting women with cancer. She trained at the Birmingham Conservatory for classical training in between her first and second season at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. She was the first woman of Indian descent to play a lead role in a Shakespearean piece on the main stage of the Stratford Festival in 51 years of the festival's history.

Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee,

a columnist and senior academician may be reached at profratanbhattacharjee@gmail.com

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