“If Indian films came my way and I loved the script, I would say yes. Quite contrary to what people believe, I haven’t said yes to every international script that has come my way,” said Pinto.
The actor’s new film, Miral, was screened in the Narrative competition section at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. Miral opens in Jerusalem in 1948 and is the true story of Hind Husseini, who turns her family home into the Dar Al-Tifl Al-Arabi Institute, providing hope and education to orphans. Pinto’s character grows up in the orphanage.
The film is directed by American artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel and Pinto says he cast her after seeing her in Slumdog Millionaire, “I auditioned for it, Danny Boyle put me on tape for this because Julian asked us while we were doing a press junket for Slumdog Millionaire in Los Angeles.”
“I read the script and I completely fell in love with it. I felt this story needed to be told to the world. I was getting an opportunity to be part of a story that talks about peace, so why not?”
The 26-year-old had to work hard to get an authentic accent in the war film. “I’m lucky I can do accents well. I can listen and I can repeat what people say. So Julian set me on a mission - I didn’t have an accent coach, I had real people to learn from. I went to the old city of Jerusalem and stayed with a Palestinian family for eight days,” said the actor.
“I also went to the orphanage where Rula grew up. I picked up whatever I could from the students and local people. I recorded everything and found out words that are common and found my own accent,” she said.
Pinto says she hopes Indians watch Miral since it talks about peace. “I would definitely want to show Miral to India but not to prove a point. The film (is) about peace which is so relevant in my country and in the countries that are warring or have some kind of conflict with neighbouring countries,” she said.
So what are other international projects in her kitty?
“I have worked with Tarsem Singh in Immortals. It’s a Greek epic and I play Phaedra, the oracle. Again there is no ethnicity to the character; she could be from any part of the world.
The film is so multicultural that we never talk about ethnicity,” she said.”I also did a film called Rise of the Apes with Rupert Wyatt. It’s a prequel to Planet of the Apes.”
“Since I’ve taken acting as my profession, my ambition is to keep doing it and keep getting better. My ambition is to enjoy life and enjoy my work as well,” she concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2010.
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