“I respect Freida’s calibre as an actress” - Madhur Bhandarkar

Is ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ star Frida Pinto toying with an idea of working with Madhur Bhandarkar? If grapevine is to be believed, it is pretty much the case. Sounds surprising though because ever since her film turned out to be a multiple Oscar winner, there hasn’t been much seen or heard about her working with a particular film maker from Bollywood.

In fact her assignments so far have been with the directors from the West as well. While she is currently shooting for ‘Miral’ in Israel with American director Julian Schnabel, Frida has also been signed by Woody Allen for a film which is said to feature a mammoth star cast comprising of heavy weights like Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts and Antonio Banderas. In such a scenario, Freida expressing her desire to work with Madhur Bhandarkar has set tongues wagging in Bollywood.

So are we looking at an international collaboration in the making? When questioned, this is what Madhur Bhandarkar had to say, "I think it would be akin to jumping the gun. In fact till the time I was informed by media about this, I was unaware of any such statement coming from her. She hasn’t spoken to me about this at all."

He must be open to the idea though, right? After all her international recognition coupled with his fetish for making quality films with a realistic treatment would be a lethal combination, isn’t it?

"Of course I would be happy if we end up working together. She has done quite well for herself during last few months and I respect her calibre as an actress. So yes, if an opportunity strikes door and there is a character where she fits in well, I would certainly be game", comes an expected reply from Madhur.

The ball is in court of Freida now who, while busy with her international assignments, is certainly not giving up on Bollywood. She has made the first move; now it has to be seen if she will go on to make a full-on dash next! - SAMPURN (Joginder Tuteja)