It is another diamond in Slumdog Millionaire actor Freida Pinto’s tiara.

She will be the first and the youngest ever Indian actor (25 years) to sashay down the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival by doing a Hollywood film, Miral, that is part of the official competition section at the September 1-11 fest. The film has also been selected by the Toronto Film Festival.

The good news for the actor doesn’t end here as her Woody Allen directed movie You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger will also be screened in Venice. Freida, we hear, is still undecided about what she will wear on the prestigious red carpet.

A reliable source reveals, “Freida is quite becoming the big awards fest babe. She saw her debut movie get nominated and winning an Oscar. Now, the second and third films of her career are being screened at Venice. She is delighted and on cloud nine. Freida is praying that her film wins the competition section too.”

Freida shot in Jerusalem for the movie and even learnt Arabic for Miral.

It has been directed by Julian Schnabel, who was nominated for an Oscar for his acclaimed directorial venture The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Miral is based on the book written by Rula Jebreal titled The Road of Flowers Miral.

Rula is rumoured to be Julian’s current girlfriend. The movie has bowled over the jury at Venice with its touching story that narrates the life of a character named Hind Husseini and chronicles the protagonist’s effort to set up an orphanage in Jerusalem after Palestine was partitioned in 1948 and Israel was created.

“When you see that the hard work you have done pays off in such a big way, it satisfies any actor. Naturally, Freida is excited to be in Venice and being the only actor ever to have been nominated for an international movie is a big deal for her. She is mulling over her red carpet dress. Her designer friends in London might bail her out of the situation,” says the informer.

We hear that Freida will also walk the red carpet alongside Woody Allen.

“The Tall Dark Stranger will have a red carpet. Woody is very fond of Freida and they will walk the red carpet together,” reveals the insider.

Freida could not be contacted for a comment on these developments.

Source

The word is out, and the Hollywood press has cranked-up the buzz blaster: Freida Pinto has landed her biggest and best role to date.  She will play Phaedra, the hero’s oracle, in War of the Gods, a Greek mythological epic currently in pre-production.

One of many in a sudden flurry of mythological mega-movies that includes The Lightning Thief andClash of the Titans, Relativity Media’s $100 million War of the Gods currently is scheduled to hit theatres in time for the 2011 summer blockbuster season.  Determined to make the film live up to its “epic” description in every way, director Tarsem Singh has assembled an elite crew of screenwriters and cinematographers, including seasoned veterans from the instant classic 300. Singh recently told the Hollywood press that, apropos of his subject matter, he plans to give his larger-than-life adventure the look and feel of an Italian renaissance painting, a setting well-suited to Pinto’s timeless beauty.

Henry Cavill will headline as Theseus, champion of the human crusade against vengeful gods and demi-gods, who threaten to destroy all of mankind.  Pinto co-stars as Phaedra, oracle priestess and hero’s inspiration—a perfect role for the twenty-five year old star millions of men worship as a goddess.

The role marks another evolutionary step in a spectacular career that has rocketed the Indian beauty from obscurity to worldwide super-stardom in the blink of a well-curled eyelash.  After several years as an extremely successful international model, Pinto made her big screen debut in Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire. Beguiling critics and audiences alike, Pinto became one of Hollywood’s premier “It” girls for 2009, appearing in People Magazine’s list of the world’s most beautiful people, and landing high top several prestigious lists of the world’s best dressed women.

Since she lit-up the red carpet in the spring of 2009, Pinto has earned leading roles with some of the industry’s premier directors.  Pinto recently completed production of You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, a Woody Allen piece that features a typically quirky ensemble cast including Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Naomi Watts, Anupam Kher, and Josh Brolin.  She also completed excellent work on Julian Schnabel’s Miral, a poignant historical film about Hind Husseini, founder of  the Dar Al-Tifl orphanage in war-torn Jerusalem during Isreal’s  1948 partition from Palestine.

Although Pinto wisely has devoted the majority of her time and attention to honing her considerable acting talent, she has not altogether abandoned modelling.  In February, 2010, she graced the cover of Elle magazine, and industry insiders report that she soon will ink a deal making her “the new face of L’Oreal.”

Freida has recently been filming Miral in Israel with Willem Dafoe and Yasmine El Masri, and she will then move on to her Woody Allen project which also stars Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts and Antonio Banderas. With all this traveling, where does Freida call home? “I don’t have a fixed address as I’m making movies all over the world,” she explains, “I’m filming in Israel at the moment and who knows after that, so I’m not making plans to buy my own place yet. Ultimately, Mumbai will always be home. That’s where my family is.”

Miral is based on the life of Palestinian social activist Hind Husseini, who worked to create a children’s orphanage after the Deir Yassin massacre. Initially starting with 55 children, the orphanage later converted to a school housing up to 2000 children, of which at its peak, 300 were orphans. The movie is based on a book by Palestinian-Italian writer Rula Jebreal – “The Road of Flowers of Miral”.

In a state of disbelief, Anupam said, “First the amazing response to the screening of Saraansh in the afternoon, then this piece of news. To be in a Woody Allen film is a dream come true for me. Last year, I worked with another international filmmaking legend Ang Lee. Now Woody Allen. What more could any actor ask for in his 25th year in the business?”

Ask Anupam about the ambit of his part on Woody’s film and he protests, “You think I care? All I know is that I play Freida Pinto’s father in the Woody Allen film. Even if it is just one shot I’d be delirious. I’ve grown up and grown older watching Woody Allen’s cinema. And look at my kismet. Do you know the film’s cast? The Woody Allen film features the mighty Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts and Antonio Banderas. To be part of this vast cast is enough for me.”

Dancing with the joy of accomplishment, Anupam says, “Mahesh Bhatt Saab who was present at the screening of Saaransh on Sunday afternoon got on stage at the end of the screening and announced that I had received a Woody Allen film as gift for 25 years in films.”

To share this glorious moment with Anupam at the screening of Saaransh was his brother Raju Kher, wife Kirron Kher and close friends from the industry including Rakeysh Mehra, Dibakar Bannerjee, Neeraj Pandey and David Dhawan who had edited Saaransh.

“It was very moving experience,” says Anupam emotionally.

“I would love to get Duffy to sing the next tune. I think she is wonderful. Amy Winehouse would be good too,” Michael said. “We have started work on the new film, which I can’t say anything about. Daniel Craig is very keen to get going.”

Amy Winehouse was billed to write and sing a theme song for 2008 James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace” with Mark Ronson. However, she missed the chance of scoring any music for the film after her health condition got worse due to adverse reaction of her anti-drugs medication. At the time, she and Mark were replaced by Alicia Keys and Jack White, the frontman of The White Stripes.

The next installment of James Bond movie itself has had several actresses, including Angelina Jolie, Freida Pinto and Jennifer Aniston, being linked to its cast ensemble. Additionally, “Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle is up for the directing role of this “Bond 23″.

The girls are excited too. Freida Pinto says “I am very moved to be joining the great L’Oreal Paris family and all these personalities: a family I am now proud to be a part of.”

Lost’s Evangeline Lilly says, “It is a source of great pride for me to represent a brand whose ambition is to respond to every person’s aspirations to beauty, and contribute to the fulfilment and well-being of everyone.”

Elizabeth Banks agrees and says, “I am so honoured to be one of the newest L’Oreal Paris Spokespeople and to join such a distinguished group of women who proudly say the iconic phrase ‘Because you’re worth it.”

Freida was recently nominated for the 2009 MTV Movie Awards for Breakthrough Female Performance Female. Her boyfriend and costar Dev Patel is also up for Breakthrough Make Performance Male. And of course, as a couple, they were nominated for Best Kiss.

In an online poll, “Twilight” earned nods for best movie, best female performance (Kristen Stewart) and breakthrough performance male (Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner). “Slumdog Millionaire” garnered six nominations, including best movie, breakthrough performance female (Freida Pinto) and breakthrough performance male (Dev Patel).

The awards will take place May 31 in Los Angeles and fans can vote for their favourites at the MTV Movies Awards site.

Joining “Twilight” and “Slumdog Millionaire” in the best movie category are “The Dark Knight”, “High School Musical 3″ and “Iron Man”. The other actors vying in the breakthrough performance male category are Ben Barnes for “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Prince of Caspian” and Bobb’e J. Thompson for “Role Models”. Other breakthrough performance female selections are Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens(“HSM 3″) and Miley Cyrus (“Hannah Montana: The Movie”).

Apart from Stewart the best female performance nominees include Anne Hathaway (“Bride Wars”), Angelina Jolie (“Wanted”) and Kate Winslet (“The Reader”). Zac Efron (“HSM 3″), will compete for best male performance against Shia LaBeouf (“Eagle Eye”) and Robert Downey, Jr. (“Tropic Thunder”).

The best fight awards is a battle between Christian Bale and Heath Ledger (“The Dark Knight”) and Seth Rogen, James Franco and Danny McBride (“Pineapple Express”).

The best kiss category will see another smackdown between “Twilight” (Stewart and Pattinson) and “Slumdog Millionaire” (Pinto and Patel), with other nominees including Franco and Sean Penn (“Milk”), and Paul Rudd and Thomas Lennon (“I Love You, Man”).

Freida was first spotted by producers during the casting for Quantum of Solace but has most recently been swept up in Slumdog mania — eight Oscars, seven Baftas and four Golden Globes!

A source said: “She was too young at the time to have a part as a love interest for a secret agent. But she has blossomed into an incredibly stunning young woman and would look perfect on Daniel Craig’s arm. [Slumdog director] Danny Boyle is favorite to take the helm of the next movie, which would increase Freida’s chances of a starring role.”