No one saw it coming. Freida Pinto has leaped ahead of her Indian rivals to become the highest paid actress in Bollywood, a news report said.

Following the success of Slumdog, which took home eight Oscars and whose worldwide box office receipts so far are estimated at over $ 270 million, the Indian model-turned-actress has landed a series of lucrative roles with top directors, including Woody Allen and Julian Schnabel.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, she has pushed ahead of her colleagues Kareena Kapoor , Katrina Kaif and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, to become the highest paid actress in India.

Freida is currently in Israel to shoot for a new film that focuses on the interwoven lives of a Israeli and Palestinian women from the early years of the state through the early 1990s.

The British daily, quoting sources close to the Indian star, said her earnings have now topped 2 million pounds.

'Freida is fast reaching the top status in the international arena. The actress' projects with big filmmakers like Woody Allen have helped her join a league which no other Indian actress has achieved so far,' said a film analyst.

'Freida can't be compared to Aishwarya because we're not pitching her as an Indian girl in international films. Freida is a true global face,' Anirban Das, CEO of her management company, was quoted as saying in the report.

The 'Slumdog' star is not only seen as a threat in Bollywood. A lot of Hollywood hotties are worried about her meteoric rise as well.

Oscar winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow is scared that Freida Pinto will steal her 1 million pounds-a-year contract with Estee Lauder.

Paltrow replaced Elizabeth Hurley in 2005 as the younger and fresher face of Estee Lauder cosmetics. She is now afraid that Pinto will upstage her.

A source said: "Gwyneth makes millions through her sponsorship deals and it's her commercial work that's keeping her rich. The news that Estee Lauder is in talks with Freida caught her by complete surprise.

Losing the Estee Lauder deal would be a huge blow to Gwyneth. She's waiting for an exact outline of what Freida will be doing for the brand and hoping she won't be sidelined."