Freida Pinto signs $7m endorsement deal

Freida Pinto is rumoured to have signed a two-year endorsement deal with a fashion brand for $7m (£4.4m).

According to an IANS source, the Slumdog Millionaire star is expected to receive £2.2m a year for the deal.

"It is higher than any Indian female celebrity has ever been paid," said a source close to the 27-year-old actress.

Anirban Das Blah, the managing director of KWAN - the agency that handles Pinto's endorsements in India - said: "We've witnessed Freida's phenomenal growth in such a short span, and that too on a global platform. Brand Freida stands for very rare, unique and irreplaceable values and imagery, making her the ideal choice for a brand with a global appeal and an Indian focus."

Pinto received international recognition following her appearance in Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Since then, she has featured in films such as You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

She will soon be seen playing the oracle priestess Phaedra in Tarsem Singh's Immortals, which is due for release on November 11.