Frieda Pinto’s ‘Trishna’ gets full house at IFFI

Panaji: Freida Pinto made her second visit to the India International Film Festival (IFFI) today with a packed screening of her film `Trishna`, a modern retelling of Thomas Hardy`s famous novel `Tess of the d`Urbervilles`.

The 27-year-old actress, who walked the red carpet wearing a cream and pink churidar-kurta along with the starcast of the film, said it was great to be back to the festival. "It`s great to be back in India and this is my first film after `Slumdog Millionaire` to be set in the country. It is a great experience to represent `Trishna` here. Goa has always been close to my heart and screening the film at this international platform is a great honour for us," Pinto said ahead of the screening. The film has been directed by British filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, famous for his love for Hardy and the name behind international hits like `A Cock and Bull Story`, `The Road to Guantanamo` and Angelina Jolie starrer `A Mighty Heart`. `Trishna`, set in Rajasthan, charts the life of a village girl Trishna (Pinto) who falls in love with a rich man but the class divide becomes too big for the lovers to overcome. Actor Riz Ahmed plays the role of a wealthy young British businessman Jay Singh in the movie opposite Pinto. The film has been co-produced by Anurag Kashyap, who was also present at the screening. The director and his actress wife Kalki Koechlin have done cameos in the movie, which will hit the screens sometime next year. Winterbottom is bringing Hardy`s novel on the big screen for the third time after adapting `Jude The Obscure` and `Mayor of Castrebridge` successfully. "The story being of a woman whose life is destroyed by a combination of love and circumstances, I think Freida was the perfect choice for the protagonist and she played her role to the fullest in the movie. The experience of being at IFFI is an honour in itself and I look forward to come here again," said Winterbottom. The music of the film is by Amit Trivedi, known for his scores in `Dev D` and `Aisha`. `Trishna` premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to a positive review by critics this year. It is Pinto`s second character based in India but it is yet to be seen whether the film will match the popularity and success of `Slumdog Millionaire`, which made Pinto an overnight star in Hollywood. Post `Slumdog`, Pinto went onto star in Woody Allen`s `You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger`, James Franco starrer `Rise of the Planet of the Apes` and Tarsem Singh`s Greek war drama `Immortals`. PTI