Freida Selena Pinto was born in Bombay, which is now known as Mumbai, located in the state of Maharashtra, India. Her parents are Sylvia, a school principal, and Frederick Pinto, a senior bank branch manager. She comes from a Mangalorean family.
Before gaining her big break, Pinto spent two years modeling in Mumbai, representing Elite Model Management India. Her big break came when director Danny Boyle selected her for the female lead role, Latika, in his project Slumdog Millionaire, which was released in 2008. Boyle has compared spotting her talent to his discovery of Kelly Macdonald for Trainspotting.
Interestingly, Freida Pinto, who studied at Mumbai's St. Xaviers College, began taking acting classes only after completing her debut film. She attended a three-month workshop conducted by Barry John, a renowned theater guru.
Prior to her acting career, Pinto anchored a travel show called Full Circle, which was broadcast on Zee International Asia Pacific between 2006 and 2007. She went on assignments to various countries, including Afghanistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Fiji, among others.
