Freida Pinto to produce and act in TV series adaptation of The Henna Artist

Freida Pinto will star in and produce the TV series adaptation of Alka Joshi's book, The Henna Artist, which was published by HarperCollins earlier this year. 

According to a report on the website Deadline.com, the series will be produced by Michael Edelstein under his first-look deal with Miramax.

Joshi's novel follows the teenage Lakshmi who runs away from an abusive marriage to arrive in Jaipur, Rajasthan, in the 1950s and becomes the city's most popular henna artist and a confidante of the upper-class women who use her talents. But while they spill their secrets, she keeps hers closed up.

Edelstein and Pinto are on the lookout for a screenwriter to pen the series. The producer, who first met the actress in India, told Deadline.com, "It was clear to me from the first chapter that Freida was born to play Lakshmi. Fortunately, the project is blessed that not only is Freida a brilliant actress, but she is the perfect producing partner."

Pinto, who will produce the series under her banner Freebird Films, said, "As an actress, I cannot wait to dive back into the stories of my motherland and make my women (and my men) of all backgrounds, with all their good and their complexities, feel seen and heard. Lakshmi Shastri is not a puritanical woman. She empowers me, and I am honoured to pass that feeling on to a very global audience.

“The Henna Artist has tremendous potential to become that bingeable, high-quality, multilayered television show that honours the glory and beauty of India, its culture and its people,” she added. 

The Henna Artist was actress Reese Witherspoon's selection for her Hello Sunshine Book Club in May.