Freida Pinto: I love Bollywood

Freida Pinto had raised eyebrows with her recent announcement that she does not want to do "mindless" Bollywood films. But the Indian export who has taken Hollywood by storm, blamed the media for "misquoting" her and says that she "loves" the song and dance flicks.

The Slumdog Millionaire star who walked the red carpet at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), said that Sholay and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge are her favourites and wants to work with young Indian filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee.

"I never said that I don't want to be a part of Bollywood. Media put me in a tight spot by misquoting me. I absolutely love Bollywood films. DDLJ and Sholay are my favourite films," said the 26-year-old actress who was here to promote the Woody Allen film You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.

The actress denied saying that Bollywood treats actresses like mere eye candy, adding that she was game for a Hindi film if she likes the script.

"I never said that Bollywood treats women like dolls. I never said I don't want to be in Bollywood. I would love to be part of a Hindi film if I love the script and feel that I am required for the role I would be happy to do it," said the Mumbai-born actress.

Pinto said that the word 'Bollywood' does not represent the entire spectrum of Indian cinema and she would love to be a part of small independant films being made in the country.

"I think the term Bollywood is misunderstood not only in India but also in the West. They think it is just song and dance. We had Satyajit Ray for crying out loud. Dev D was a fabulous film and Khosla Ka Ghosla was fantastic. I want to work with these filmmakers," she said.

After her debut in Slumdog Millionaire, Pinto shot to international fame and landed a coveted role in Woody Allen's film where she stars alongside Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones and Naomi Watts.

"I was very troubled by the character that I played. I think it is easy to look at her outward appearance and the way Woody has shot her is very beautiful, making her very mysterious. But she is not a stranger to the plot," said Pinto.

Pinto's performance in French director Julian Schnabel's film Miral has already created a buzz in the festival circles. Her next film is Immortals, a mythological epic directed by Indian filmmaker Tarsem Singh and Rise of the Apes opposite James Franco.