Freida Pinto: ‘None of us really thought Slumdog Millionaire was going to be as big as it was’

Actress Freida Pinto, who shot to global fame after the worldwide success of her 2008 Oscar-winning British drama film Slumdog Millionaire, said in a recent interview that nobody working on the film had thought it would go on to become such a success.

“None of us really thought the film was going to be as big as it was. In fact, even after the film was completed, there was a chance that it would never see the light of day in a movie theater. We had a lot of fun, but not a lot of expectations,” Pinto said during the interview.

Helmed by Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight—the most for any 2008 film—including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It also won seven BAFTA Awards including Best Film, five Critics’ Choice Awards, and four Golden Globes.

The actress also revealed that “Jai Ho” was not the song that they danced to during the filming. “One thing people may not know is that the last song that we danced to, “Jai Ho,” which is so popular today, was not the song that we danced to in the first place. It was another Hindi film song that we danced to. Of course, when Dev and I heard it for the first time at the film festival, it was shocking and strange. Then we looked around at the crowd and everyone was grooving. So, credit goes to A.R. Rahman for putting a beat there that really got the whole world moving,” she said.

On the work front, Freida Pinto is currently filming her next My Mother's Wedding.

Stay tuned to this space for more updates!