It was never a contest. She was the looker, he was the actor. So why is no one gushing about Dev Patel? Sunday MiD DAY explores how Freida Pinto pulled off what she did. And whether she even had anything to do with being the west's latest It Girl
It was never a contest. She was the looker, he was the actor. So why is no one gushing about Dev Patel? Sunday MiD DAY explores how Freida Pinto pulled off what she did. And whether she even had anything to do with being the west's latest It GirlTHEY were both debutantes in Slumdog Millionaire that hit the jackpot and made the two celebrities overnight.
But while one was admired for his acting skills, the other went on to take the spotlight in the world of glamour and Hollywood.
Jamal of Slumdog, Dev Patel, and his on-screen love Latika, Freida Pinto were the nervous newcomers to begin with, but since and post-Oscars, Pinto has catapulted into a totally different league.
Not only has she bagged a Woody Allen film and walked the fashion ramps, Pinto is rumoured to be all set to sign a u00c2u00a3200,000 contract to become the next face of Estee Lauder and is already being compared to the likes of Liz Hurley and Gwyneth Paltrow.
On the contrary, very little is being heard about Dev Patel except that he has signed a Shyamalan film.
So what is it that Freida has and Dev doesn't? Dr Anil Sinanan, Film Critic BBC Radio 5 Live/BBC Asian Network, believes it may possibly be that she has a "good publicist or she could be a smart Mumbai girl who is ambitious and knows how to make the most of her two seconds of fame." Probably she has taken Angelina Jolie's advice seriously, who, says Pinto, told her, "Just enjoy this because you never know if it's going to happen again."
But, says Sinanan, "Patel on the other hand, may have equally if not more prestigious projects lined up, but he remains a British lad who may be a bit more conservative about exposure at this early stage of his career."
Sinanan also adds, "The fact remains she is a very beautiful woman and the world loves a dusky beauty."
However, he warns, "We'll just have to wait and see who of the two endures longer." He believes both are "mediocre actors, but Slumdog has become a global hit and the world loves a beauty. Patel remains elusive and looks a bit geeky."
But right now Pinto is donning Chanel dresses and Jimmy Choo shoes, modelling for Dolce and Gabbana in Milan, presiding over the official renaissance of one of London's best-loved stores, Liberty. All this attention, says Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian's film critic, has "something to do with a kind of reverse sexism and the 'exoticisation' of South Asian women. It is a neophiliac thing. Because she is new and nothing much is known about her she can be an It Girl and you can attach her to any brand and attract the media."
Also, says Bradshaw, "It is something about the passivity of her role in Slumdog that has attracted the attention. Her role was not demanding. She simply looked pretty."
Contrarily, Patel "did seem to show greater acting talent and his role was more demanding. He may have a more long lasting career than Pinto," conjectures Bradshaw, and argues that the fashion world is different for men and women. Guys need to "have an eye-candy appeal but Patel is kind of boyish. Both are the same age and young women are more interesting than young men. Had he been 10 years older it may have been a different story."
He agrees, at this moment, Pinto seems to have outdone Patel, but Bradshaw warns: "Dev may feel he is not as famous as Freida, but he may be the one to get meatier roles. Whether Freida appears in other films, who knows? Right now it's not clear whether she can act at all.
"It's a cruel world. Now that she is white hot, I hope she picks the right roles, otherwise in this profession it does not take long to go from ultra hot to 'where are we now!' "u00a0
But Paul Macinnes, the Entertainment Editor of Guardian.co.uk believes her USP is the fact that "she was unheard of in the West. This means that a lot of people see her story as rags to riches, as an ordinary girl who suddenly became very famous. People like those kind of stories and directors can play on that when casting her. Expect her to play a lot of roles where she is the new girl in town or the country girl in a big city."u00a0
Bradshaw, however, suspects it could be possible she could get a lucrative fashion deal, suggesting the Estee Lauder offer, and "she may drift into the rarefied world of being a fashion icon, that is, if she can sell herself to that world. If she can do that and can bank it, it may be the best way to go for her."
But Sinanan is doubtful about her status of a fashion icon. "On what basis has Pinto become a global fashion icon? Appearing at the Milan Fashion show? The real test is if she is still in the public eye a year later. Besides, her choice of dress remains baffling: Why does no Indian wear outfits by Indian designers who are as good as their western counterparts?"
Yet Macinnes believes, "She wore a stunning dress at the Oscars that was redolent of Hollywood's golden age. But of course it was Hollywood reinterpreted too and Pinto is a symbol of a globalised fashion, that glamour isn't only found in Europe or North America. She has striking cheekbones and a natural look, plus everyone wants her to succeed."
But it is not clear how far she will actually go. Maybe, Patel will go ahead of her. Will it be Bollywood for her or will it be Hollywood? While many have reservations, Macinnes believes: "Pinto is beautiful in a way many Hollywood stars are not. For all his charms, Patel does not have traditional leading man looks. Pinto's beauty is simple, un-enhanced and seems natural. That has made her someone photographers want to shoot and directors want to cast. She has also become something of a style icon too which helps her popularity amongst women."
It seems to be this mystery of the unknown that has made her a media darling, a quality that an internationally recognised beauty like Aishwarya Rai, cannot boast of.u00a0u00a0
Today, Pinto is the star, but no one knows what lies ahead, and how long this glory will last. But right now, in the eyes of many Western fashionistas, she is Slumdog Millionaire made real.
