Here are some photos of Freida Pinto at the NYC premiere of Desert Dancer, her latest film. Freida is so pretty, but this lilac Elie Saab is too… eh? I mean, the color works for me, but I’m disappointed that she chose such an ice-skater-looking dress.

To promote the film, Freida has a piece in Los Angeles Magazine, all about her first trip to LA. She first came to the city in 2009, while she was promoting Slumdog Millionaire. It’s a nice piece – you can read the full article here. She talks about the initial craziness of her schedule, but finding out that LA was so yoga-obsessed really helped her because yoga is “very Indian.” She also talks a lot about the food in LA, which let me tell you – that’s also “very Indian” to obsess on food. That was the first question my father would ask me: “Where did you go to eat? What did you eat? I could probably make a better version.” Freida also talks about the prevalence of skin-bleaching in India, a subject she’s discussed before. Some highlights:

LA is all for brown skin: “A lot of girls growing up in India do not realize the beauty of their beautiful tan skin tone. Skin-lightening products are a big seller in the Indian cosmetics industry. On one of my trips to Los Angeles, someone walked up to me and said, “You have the most beautiful caramel-chocolate skin.” In L.A. everyone is sunbathing or going to tanning shops; I wish the 1.2 billion people in India could have a little peek into this culture and appreciate what they have.”

Her first Oscar experience: “Slumdog Millionaire was like a first love. None of what happened was expected; the next thing I know, I’m walking down the red carpet at the Oscars in my John Galliano dress. The ceremony was so beautiful. To feel the energy in that room—it was like being touched by God. I still have a small suitcase full of memorabilia from the ceremonies. I stole my name card from the Directors Guild of America Awards, and I took one of the Slumdog Millionaire tags that were on the table at the Governors Ball. I was so dedicated to remembering all the people I met that when they gave me their card, I would write where I met them and in what context on the back. My agent turned to me and said, ‘Good luck keeping up with that.’”

[From LA Magazine]

That’s so cool that she still has all the memorabilia from that awards season! She should turn it into an art project or something. As for the skin color comments… as I’ve said before, I’m half-white and half-Indian, so I am the palest one in my Indian family (and the darkest one of my mother’s side). I’m so American though, and I do prefer to have “some color,” as I call it. I used to go to tanning beds so I could be darker. I loved the way my skin looked with a deep tan. Sigh… I wish I had some color right now.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.