Days after Patel, 19, and Pinto, 24, were photographed having a romantic lunch at an Israeli cafe on Wednesday, Patel's mother confirms they're together.
"First it was the film and now everything else seems to have slotted into place," Mrs. Patel is quoted as saying in Monday's Daily Mirror.
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"Life can't get any better for him," she adds. "Freida is really beautiful, and I am really happy for them."
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Asked about her son's trip to visit Pinto (who is shooting the Julian Schnabel drama "Miral" in Jerusalem), she says, "Yes, we knew he was flying to Israel to see her."
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During the trip, Patel and Pinto were spotted packing on the PDA in Tel Aviv, where they strolled around the harbor and enjoyed a champagne dinner at a seaside restaurant.
Both Patel and Pinto denied dating rumors earlier this year while they promoted "Slumdog Millionaire," which won the Oscar for Best Picture.
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The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Intrigued by Jamal's story, the jaded Police Inspector begins to wonder what a young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out...
| Also Known As: | Slumdog Crorepati |
| Production Status: | Released |
| Logline: | An illiterate kid looks to become a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be A Millionaire in order to re-establish contact with the girl he loves, who is an ardent fan of the show. |
| Genres: | Art/Foreign, Comedy, Drama, Adaptation and Teen |
| Running Time: | 2 hrs. |
| Release Date: | November 12th, 2008 (limited) |
| MPAA Rating: | R for some violence, disturbing images and language. |
| Distributors: | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
| Production Co.: | Celador Films, Film4 |
| U.S. Box Office: | $141,017,353 |
| Filming Locations: | Mumbai, India |
| Produced in: | United Kingdom |