MILES TO GO ON GAY RIGHTS
Actor Freida Pinto says that the SC verdict on homosexuality is great, but much still needs to change
Ten years after Slumdog Millionaire released, actor Freida Pinto is still known for her debut role in Danny Boyle’s Oscarwinning film. “It’s a matter of pride that something that released 10 years ago, people still think about it today,” she says. “It’s not a matter of feeling overwhelmed at all. But having said that, it’s a little confusing when people still think you’re that same character because, even though I’m pretty much the same, I am not 23 anymore.”
Freida, who’s in India to promote her next film, Tabrez Noorani’s hard-hitting drama on sex trafficking, Love Sonia, says that the film will debunk a lot of myths surrounding the flesh trade. She says, “This whole sex trafficking racket [that operates] internationally was not something I knew about. This film will also reveal that it’s a misconception that human trafficking happens only in the Third World, or in developing countries. I think the fact that it’s called human trafficking means that it happens across the world, including the UK and the USA.”
Interestingly, Freida has been associated with this project for over 10 years, as Tabrez, one of the producers of Slumdog Millionaire, had discussed the subject with her while making that film. “I feel the prep had already started 10 years ago. Around the time he was ready to shoot, it became even more important for me to become aware of the world I was about to enter. He got all of us actors to meet some of the girls from that world, so we could inject more sensitivity into the characters,” she adds.
Though she has lived in Los Angeles, US, for over eight years, Freida is still clued into what’s happening in India, and is ecstatic about the recent SC judgment that decriminalised homosexuality. She says, “I had a bunch of friends who [earlier] refused to travel to India. They didn’t feel safe...” The actor adds, “Though homosexuality has been decriminalised, there are still behavioural changes that need to take place. Some of it happens in our homes. For instance, can you talk to your parents about homosexuality? Even religion — because when I went to church, I’d hear the priest say things like ‘homosexuality is a sickness.’ When did that really change? The first step is definitely decriminalising it and making it legal and not shaming someone for their sexuality.”