It all started when Freida in an interview to the international press (the slum diva doesn't talk to the native brown-skinned media) said that she come to Bollywood film only if it was a Bhandarkar film.
When the news reached Madhur he was naturally flattered.
To work with Pinto the pint-sized international sensation would be any Bollywood director's dream scheme.
Says Madhur, "I'm quite flattered to hear Freida wants to work with me. I think she is aware of my female-oriented cinema. She must have seen the performances that Tabu and Konkona Sen gave in Chandni Bar and Page 3. I'd love to work with Freida."
Says Madhur, "Today I'm at a stage where an actress of Freida's international popularity singles me out. I guess I must've done something right in these ten years as a director. Can you imagine the kind of potboilers I'd be making if my first film Trishakti had clicked?"