Girl On The Rise

Actress and Audemars Piguet ambassador Freida Pinto talks movies, philanthropy and watches with candice chan at the brand’s headquarters in Le Brassus.

At 24, Indian actress Freida Pinto had no idea that her debut in Slumdog Millionaire (2008) would catapult her into Hollywood’s glaring spotlight, earning her the Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, as well as other nominations at the British Academy Film Awards, the MTV Movie Awards and the Teen Choice Awards. Some eight years after her breakout role, she has gone on to carve a successful career in tinsel town, starring in acclaimed movies such as Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) and Caroline Aranha’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011).

Known for taking on roles that break away from the stereotypical mould of an Indian woman in foreign films, she has a predilection for international art house productions like Michael Winterbottom’s Trishna (2011), Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Day of the Falcon (2011) and Richard Raymond’s Desert Dancer (2014), which received critical praise. She also recently starred alongside Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett in Knight of Cups (2015), an experimental drama written and directed by Terrence Malick that explores the convoluted entertainment industry.

Not merely a figure onscreen, in the last few years, the actress has used her star power to champion for gender inequality, particularly in the area of education for children. With actress Priyanka Chopra, who stars in Quantico, the pair launched Girl Rising, a global campaign aimed at raising the awareness of girls’ education.