At the end of the day, Hollywood and Bollywood movies are all the same.

Directors in India and the United States alike follow a similar formula -– a loveable hero is placed in a dire predicament by a notoriously conniving villain. In the process, the hero manages to meet a beautiful woman and figures out a way outsmart the villain.

At movie’s end, the villain is defeated and the hero gets the girl.

Such is the basic premise of Slumdog Millionaire, though Freida Pinto says this movie provides the movie-goer with a unique wrinkle not found in other silver-screen productions. “There are so many films in India that are filmed about Mumbai, but this one was the truest, most honest film of the city,” said Pinto, who plays the stunning vixen who doubles as the hero’s love interest. “Hat’s off to Danny (Boyle) for shooting the slum scenes and shooting it the way it is. There was no masking whatsoever.”

Stealing a page from Boyle’s book of filmmaking, the Indian-born Pinto never masked her film aspirations. “Since I was five, I’ve always wanted to act,” she jubilantly told Buzzine. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make a profession out of it, but I definitely wanted to be involved [in acting].”

It took a college course to put her over the top to pursue acting as a full-time gig. “When I was 20, in my third year of university, I took a film and literature course,” Pinto said. “Right then, I knew this was something I wanted to do.”

Despite her epiphany, it soon became evident that millions of others shared her ambition of becoming a Bollywood star. Pinto thought she could break barriers by modeling at a young age, yet doors were closed at every turn, with 800-pound elephants blocking entry on the other side. “After college, I decided that I wanted to get into Indian films, but it was very difficult because the Indian film industry is really tight,” she humbly told Buzzine. “I got into modeling, hoping I would get the right amount of visibility, but it didn’t work. If you want to get into it, you got to have a family member –- brother, sister -– someone who is going to push you in the right direction.”

With no one to point her the right way, she did the next logical thing -– giving directions to aspiring travelers. “I got a travel show instead, presenting international travel to locations in Southeast Asia.”

Serving as the tour guide to the astute international vagabond, Pinto’s pleasant demeanor on the show earned her an audition for the lead role in Slumdog Millionaire. “The casting director called me, told me Danny Boyle is coming to India to shoot this film, and they were looking actors to play the roles of Jamal, Salim, and Latika,” she said. “I didn’t believe them. I thought, why is Danny Boyle coming to India to shoot a film?”

After advising people on the ideal trip to all points exotic, Pinto’s journey to earn the role of Latika was anything but –- she endured a six-month audition before she was finally chosen as the iconic love interest and hero’s prize. “Every time I went to an audition, they told me ‘fantastic!’ and ‘good job!’” said Pinto, who had no acting experiences prior to her auditions. “It was necessary to go through the six-month audition. It helped me understand Latika’s character, making it easier for me to play her parts during filming.”

Despite understanding Latika’s character, Pinto struggled to come to terms with the lead female’s characteristics. Specifically, Latika eventually became more submissive as the movie progressed, which Pinto said was opposite her personality. After doing a scene several times, Pinto noticed she began to take on Latika’s submissive nature. “I think I really began to become submissive, myself,” she said. “One time, Danny came up to me and told me to do something, and I just nodded my head and said okay. The fighter in me just died at some point, but I think it was important for the character.”

Yet, working on Slumdog Millionaire was worthwhile. Not only did it put her on track by pursuing her acting career –- albeit in Hollywood instead of Bollywood –- Pinto was equally excited to work side-by-side with Bollywood legend Anil Kapoor. Furthermore, she was thrilled to work under Boyle’s direction, who she intently studied in college. “I was really nervous because Danny’s films are so extraordinary,” Pinto said. “He has a penchant for the extraordinary and he doesn’t do what everyone’s already seen before.”

Slumdog Millionaire is currently playing in select theaters in Los Angeles and New York City.