Happy Birthday, Rani Mukherjee!

Freida Pinto: The Next Art-House Babe?

Freida Pinto must have a very strong head on her shoulders to keep it from spinning off. Just months ago she was the star of a film destined to go straight-to-video. Now Slumdog Millionaire is an irresistible Oscar-winner and Pinto is the fresh face of the Third World. The 24-year-old unknown, formerly a Mumbai model who didn’t even start taking acting lessons until Millionaire wrapped, also has her pick of projects. Even stranger: she appears to be making smart choices.

Variety has broken the news that Pinto has signed on to appear in Julien Schnabel’s follow-up to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Miral could be a movie that causes a lot of trouble. It’s the story of a Jerusalem orphanage which witnessed the tremendous upheaval in Palestine following the establishment of Israel in the 1940s. Pinto stars alongside Hiam Abbas, who will play Hind Husseini.