You were a student of film appreciation. What kind of movies did you like watching?

I am not loyal to one particular genre but do enjoy watching serious films more than mindless ones. I loved Blood Diamond, The Beach and I also enjoy watching dark films like The Shining, A Clockwork Orange and The Godfather. I’d love to work with directors who dare to do something different like Aamir Khan did with Taare Zameen Par and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra did with Rang De Basanti.

Are you a Trainspotting freak like many of us of this generation? Did you like any of the other Danny Boyle films?

Of course I am a Trainspotting freak. I also loved the other Danny Boyle films like The Beach, 28 Days Later and A Life Less Ordinary. Danny is extremely talented and his movies are all very special.

How did you get to know of Slumdog Millionaire auditions? If you can go through the audition process and how you finally got selected...

My manager told me about the film and Loveleen Tandon the co-director of Slumdog Millionaire called me for the auditions. What followed was a six-month-long, gruelling audition process that was overseen by none other than Danny Boyle himself! It was, without a doubt, a great learning experience.

Before shooting for the film began, how did you prepare for being Latika, your character? What kind of acting workshops did you have to do?

I had never had any formal training in acting but the six-month-long audition process was the best acting workshop I could have asked for. With Danny there, guiding me through each audition I was like a sponge soaking in everything I possibly could. Those six months really taught me a lot. I also spent a lot of time interacting with street children and getting to know them helped me understand my character.

Walking down the red carpet at the Toronto, London and, more recently, Dubai film festivals has been really special... It’s not everyday that a middle-class Mumbai girl gets an opportunity like this and I feel truly blessed

Most of your scenes are with Dev Patel. How was he to work with? Did you two get along and socialise off the sets?

It was an absolute joy to work with Dev. We became good friends offscreen and I think that helped create our on-screen chemistry. Dev is a very unselfish actor. This is his first film as well and he was very encouraging and always ready to help. He’s a complete goof ball and it was great working with him.

What was the Danny Boyle experience like?

Enriching, special, eye opening, and so much more. It’s amazing to see an acclaimed director like him have no airs about himself. He is patient, passionate about his work and working under his guidance has been an experience of a lifetime.

While shooting for Slumdog did you feel that the film was headed for such glory?

Slumdog Millionaire is my first film and I was so busy taking in everything I possibly could from this experience I didn’t really think about how the film would do. As an actor I’d rather concentrate on how I can best contribute to a project I am working on since that is under my control. What happens once the film is ready for release is beyond my control and I’d rather wait and watch than spend too much time thinking about it.

What was the experience of walking the red carpet of some of the biggest film festivals in the world?

Walking down the red carpet at the Toronto, London and, more recently, Dubai film festivals has been really special. These are moments I will always treasure. It’s not everyday that a middle class Mumbai girl gets an opportunity like this and I feel truly blessed.

Freida with dev patel in slumdog millionaire

Indian actors doing well in Hollywood and British cinema have been limited to Om Puri and Irrfan Khan because a Slumdog is not being shot everyday. So what do you plan to do from here on?

Acting is my calling and there is no way I am going to stop what I love doing most. Hopefully I’ll do more projects internationally as well as in India.

Have there been offers from Bollywood after the Slumdog mania worldwide? Whom do you like to work with here in India?

The Bollywood industry is still to see my work since the film hasn’t released in India as yet. Right now I am enjoying the reactions my first film is receiving... I want to soak in everything I can from this experience. Future plans will have to wait a while longer. I’d love to work with Imran Khan, there’s something very interesting about him and I think he is very talented.

The millionaire movie

• Slumdog Millionaire won three British Independent Film Awards — Best Film, Best Director (Boyle) and Most Promising Newcomer (Dev Patel)
• Music director A.R. Rahman won the Best Music award at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
• It has been nominated for four Golden Globes — Best Film (Drama), Best Director (Boyle), Best Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy) and Best Music (Rahman)
• It has been nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards — Best Ensemble and Best Supporting Actor (Patel)
• The New York Times calls the film “a modern fairy tale”, a “sensory blowout”, and “one of the most upbeat stories about living in hell imaginable”.
• Variety says “As drama and as a look at a country increasingly entering the world spotlight, Slumdog Millionaire is a vital piece of work by an outsider who’s clearly connected with the place.”
• It has got a very positive buzz in the run-up to the Oscars.