Nushrrat Bharuccha almost debuted in Slumdog Millionaire. Yes, the 2008 Oscar-winner could’ve had her in the role of Latika, the slum girl eventually played by Freida Pinto. But get this—she was told she was too pretty for the part! In a recent chat with Bollywood Bubble, Nushrrat revealed that she was confused when the casting team broke the news.
“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 thoughtsares very different. Maine kaha theek hai hoga bhai kuch, kuch 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 yeh kya hota hai, yeh kya hai (what kind of a reason is that)," she recalled.
Nushrrat said she understood why she wasn’t cast in Slumdog Millionaire after watching the film. She said, “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)."
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British-Indian drama film directed by Danny Boyle and based on the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup. The story follows Jamal Malik, a young man from the slums of Mumbai, who becomes a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. As he answers each question, the film takes viewers through flashbacks of his life, showing how his experiences led him to the right answers. It went on to win eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and helped launch the global careers of several of its cast members, including Freida Pinto and Dev Patel.
