Freida Pinto found fame "very disconcerting".
Freida Pinto
The 34-year-old actress shot to fame in 2008 after starring 'Slumdog Millionaire' and admits her whole world changed and everything she had known was suddenly "shut down".
She said: "I lived a very normal, middle class life in Mumbai. I travelled on local trains and buses, but suddenly that world was shut down for me out of need for safety and security. The constant being looked at, being trailed by the paparazzi - the invasion of privacy felt very disconcerting."
And Freida has learned the "art of blending in" over the past decade, although she does get spotted from time to time.
She added: "So much time has passed since 'Slumdog Millionaire' now, I think I've learned the art of blending in. There will always be that one person who calls out my name and wants a picture when I am walking across Leicester Square, but I go out without make-up unless I am promoting a film. I'm on guard, but I'm a lot more relaxed."
Freida wants to use her Hollywood status to help other women feel "worthy" and is championing more education for women in her native India.
She told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "I feel I have the power at least to help girls feel worthy. India loses 33 per cent of its GDP because girls are not educated. If they were, they would invest that in their families and right back into their communities and the country. It's counter-productive to think that when a girl child is born she is a burden. We really need to change that mindset."
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