Here are some photos from a few nights ago of the always-gorgeous Freida Pinto at a special screening of her film Trishna in LA. Trishna is the film by Michael Winterbottom which is a very Indian-centric adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. At the screening, Frieda wore a mod little Raoul shift that is a bit too orange, I think, for her coloring. Freida is kind of hit-or-miss with her style, but I have to say… rarely does her face look bad, you know? Sometimes it doesn’t even matter what she’s wearing because she just so pretty.

Anyway, considering they’re still doing “screenings” for Trishna, I guess it’s still in some theaters, maybe? It got a limited release last year, and I think the DVD is about to be released in America too. Here’s the trailer for Trishna – um, it actually looks really good? I’m sure it’s banned in India, though – they don’t like sexy stuff like this in films.

Freida is also still giving interviews to promote the film. She’s got a new one in the UK Metro, and here are some highlights:

Describing Trishna: “It’s based on Thomas Hardy’s Tess Of The D’Urbervilles and explores the relationship between two people separated by a cultural divide. It also explores modern India, which is similar to Hardy’s 19th-century England… There’s an economic boom in India, similar to what happened with the industrial revolution in England. In our film, the family’s livelihood depends on their truck and, when that’s not there, Trishna has to work even harder than she does already to make up for it. It’s about those who do well from change and those who fall through the cracks.”

Working with director Michael Winterbottom: “I prefer directors to be hard on me. There was a pressure to perform but it was quite subtle. He’d just say ‘be in this mood’ and let you get on with delivering the scene. I liked that approach. We didn’t have a solid script. It was good to be able to make little mistakes but the camera kept rolling. It was liberating.”

She almost quit acting before Slumdog Millionaire: “Yes, it was frustrating. I wanted my first project to be something I’d never regret, so I’m grateful I held out for as long as I did. That film changed everyone’s life who was involved. I was going to give acting a go until I was 25 and, if I hadn’t made it work by that age, I’d do something else. I had moments of ‘I’ve had enough’ but I’m glad I had people around me who told me to hold on to my dream.”

She misses India: “My family – I’ve missed the last two Christmases with them, which is a shame – and Mumbai. It’s a crazy city. I go back and get my dose of craziness and then leave again. It’s an extremely stimulating place. You either love it or hate it – and because I was born and brought up there, I love it. Some parts of it make me angry though. When I see people littering – actually that’s anywhere – not just Mumbai. Have some civic pride. You need to respect the place you live.”

Global cinema: “It’s only a matter of time before cinema looks more global. I walk around New York and see every different race of people living together… we’re slowly moving to where ethnicity isn’t always a key factor in casting. If you want to sell your film to the world, you have to make it appealing to different cultures and ethnicities. In the Woody Allen film I had an Indian name but I said: ‘Thanks for not making her an Indian caricature.’ Woody said: ‘Why would I do that? The character just has to like music and be able to entice the next-door neighbour.’ I wish more people thought like that.”

Rumors in the Indian media that she’s a diva: “Not the Indian media, just one publication because I didn’t promote Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes there as I was promoting it in the US. I couldn’t be in two places at once.”

Her actual demands: “No, the only thing I ask is to be punctual. Everyone values their time but it’s never been an issue.”

[From Metro]

She sounds nice. Maybe a little anal retentive about punctuality (but I’m like that too). One part that made me roll my eyes was the bit about Mumbai and littering… er… obviously, littering is an issue, of course. But THAT is the issue you’re going to complain about? Weird.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.