Freida ready to play ‘brown’ characters

Priyanka Chopra might have emphasised on not being stereotyped in the American television show Quantico and in her other appearances in Hollywood, but actor of Indian origin Freida Pinto does not want people to be blind to her ethnicity. “The thing is if anyone sees me, you can always see the colour of my skin. It is brown and I am obviously Indian. I don’t want someone to be blind to that. You can accept me for who I am. But when someone is writing a role, you can write it as an Indian who lives in America but does not give into the stereotypes of writing,” says Frieda. The Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) actor says, “I recently did a film which is not out yet because since I am Indian, they have to cast Indians as my parents, too. I am very proud that because of the colour of my skin, more people get jobs. So, I think it is about accepting that there are different colours and also [about] being able to write roles for every colour that one would write typically for the white race,” Frieda said.

However, that doesn’t mean that the 33-year-old has no clarity on the kind of roles she wants to pick. “The roles of white people are flawed, complex, badass. They have vulnerabilities, they are not one dimensional and that is what I look for in every character now. When I first came into the film scene, I wanted people to be colourblind and then it struck me, wait! I want them to see my colour. I don’t want to be a white person,” she says.

What differences does she see between Bollywood and Hollywood? “I’ve personally not been part of a Bollywood film per se. But I think it’s sad that so many Bollywood films, for the sake of marketing, project all the wrong aspects thinking that would work like the kiss of the lead pair,” she says.

PHOTO: ROHAN SHRESTHA Actor Freida Pinto