Another buzz film for Dev Patel
Eight years ago, they came to Toronto, both entirely unknowns, in a little movie that could. A friendship fostered on set turned into something else, hearts pole-vaulting. The movie, adopted by TIFF big time (it won the People’s Choice Award), would go on and on, ultimately nabbing the Oscar for best picture.
The chords of their own relationship would go on for even longer: Dev Patel and Freida Pinto coupling up and staying together for six years.
This year, the former Slumdog Millionaire sweethearts were in town again; ships literally passing in the festival night.
Saturday: Around the time that Patel was getting plaudits for the best performance of his young career in the movie Lion (one of the best received films of the fest thus far), Pinto was flying out of town, back to London. Though Dev was nothing if not in Freida’s thoughts.
“I’m so happy for him,” the Indian beauty told me when I happened to be seated beside her at a lunch earlier that day at the Spoke Club (the annual Roger Ebert Tribute, helmed by TIFF honcho Cameron Bailey and Ebert’s widow, Chaz Ebert).
Pinto — who calls Patel one of her “best friends” and is, by all accounts, a model ex-girlfriend — went on to say she thinks that Lion has the emotional heft movie-lovers live for.
The film — the astonishing real-life story of a boy separated from his family in Central India at age 5 and reunited with them a quarter-century later, with a subplot that involves Google Earth — will definitely draw comparison to Slumdog in its somewhat Dickensian-ness. (It also doesn’t hurt that it’s being championed by Harvey Weinstein.)
Pinto, by the way, was in town to speak at a TIFF industry panel and was flying right back to London, where she’s currently based. The days of sharing a red carpet with Patel? Definitely over. (The 31-yearold appears to be in a relationship with polo player Ronnie Bacardi.)
An occupational hazard, it occurred to me. For movie stars on the film festival circuit, it’s like running into one’s ex at a high school reunion over and over . . . and over again.
Just hours later, I ran into Patel himself at the Windsor Arms Hotel for the fabulous InStyle/Hollywood Foreign Press Association party. It was just hours after Lion had bowed and the buzz was definitely on.
Patel is “a man now,” is how critic Roger Friedman summed up his performance in the movie. “Gone is the chattering boy from Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and HBO’s The Newsroom with a lot of endearing tics. Patel is the real thing now.”
Talking to him about the film (which also stars Rooney Mara and Nicole Kidman) and the positive reception it’s reaped, he was the picture of humility. “These roles are hard to come by for someone like me . . . so it means a lot,” Patel said.
As for Pinto, Patel once hilariously laughed off reports that their relationship was only a showmance to promote Slumdog Millionaire. “That would be a really long game for a horny 17-year-old to play,” he memorably quipped to a reporter. Around Town
Dakota Fanning, Liev Schreiber, Jennifer Connelly, David Oyelowo, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Joel Edgerton were among the pop-ins at the annual Entertainment Weekly Toronto Must List party at the Thompson Toronto.
Pharrell Williams and Taraji P. Henson doing dinner at Cibo on King St. W., following the special event for their film collaboration Hidden Figures.
Parker Posey, Uzo Aduba, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Guest (and others) passing in the night with the shaved Brussels sprouts salad and rock shrimp with chili at the all-new hot, hot STK restaurant in Yorkville for the Creative Coalition gala dinner. Nick Cannon, who was also there, rocked a turban, as one does.
Felicity Jones, looking like a vision in flowing Gucci, joined the unconquerable Sigourney Weaver at the post-premiere party at The Addisons Residence for their new joint film A Monster Calls. Shinan Govani’s transportation for the Toronto International Film Festival has been provided by BMW Canada.