Nushrrat Bharuccha says she wasn't cast in Frieda Pinto's role in Slumdog Millionaire because makers said she was ‘too pretty to play a slum girl'

Indian Express

24-04-2025

Nushrrat Bharuccha could've made her film debut with Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. She auditioned for the female lead of Latika, a slum girl eventually played by Freida Pinto. However, Nushrrat didn't bag the part because she was told by the makers that she's 'too pretty' to play a slum girl.
'That's so interesting. Look at the world we're in. Just look at this field of films,' said Nushrrat. 'When I was told this on the phone, I wasn't understanding what it meant. But I said, 'Okay,' because they're people working at a different level and their thought is very different. Maine kaha theek hai hoga bhai kuchh, kuchh toh socha hoga aapne (There must be something there, they must have thought of something). No problem, sure. But ya, it was a little difficult to hear ki ye kya hota hai, ye kya hai (what kind of a reason is that),' she added.
In the interview with Bollywood Bubble, Nushrrat confessed that she understood the reasoning of the makers behind not casting her in that part once she watched the film. 'There was no way I'd have been able to play that. Jo do chhoti bachchiyan bhi thi, aap logic hi nahi bitha sakte ki wo grow kar ke ye banengi (you can't find it logical that the two little girls shown in the film would grow up to become me),' said Nushrrat.
Slumdog Millionaire, a British film set in India, was adapted from Vikas Swarup's novel Q & A. It revolved around a boy Jamal (Dev Patel) explaining to the police how he managed to answer the coveted Rs 1 crore question in the Indian quiz show, Kaun Banega Crorepati. A sleeper hit, Slumdog Millionaire went on to win three Oscars the next year, for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Besides Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire also stars Anil Kapoor as the quiz show host and Irrfan Khan as a police officer among others. Initially, Shah Rukh Khan was offered Anil Kapoor's part, and Amit Sial was supposed to play Irrfan's, but those didn't materialize.
Also Read — Nushrratt Bharruccha says insiders Sonakshi Sinha and Shraddha Kapoor have a much easier time getting work: 'They can knock on doors I don't even know exist'
Meanwhile, Nushrrat made her breakthrough with Dibakar Banerjee's 2010 anthology Love Sex Aur Dhokha. She followed it up with sleeper hits in Luv Ranjan's 2011 romantic comedy Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Luv's 2018 buddy comedy Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. She also starred in Raaj Shaandilyaa's 2019 blockbuster comedy Dream Girl. Her most recent film was Vishal Furia's horror flick Chhorii 2, a sequel to her 2021 film Chhorii, which released on Prime Video India.