' Black Gold' Freida films in Tunisia as Banderas cops out.

FREIDA Pinto is sure winning over Hollywood with her intrepid ways.

In Tunisia to shoot for her new film, Black Gold , along with Antonio Banderas, Freida refused to be cowed down by the ongoing political turmoil in that country.

Even as Banderas chose to fly off to France, refusing to continue filming amid the violent unrest, Freida decided to stay back and shoot for Jean- Jacques Annaud's film because she felt it would be unprofessional to leave the country and waste the producer's dates.

Freida and Banderas were shooting near Hammamet, one of the places in Tunisia that has been a centre of riots and violence. Keeping abreast of the situation through television and the internet, Freida decided to stay on despite being offered the chance to leave Tunisia for security reasons.

While Banderas did stay on for some time, he eventually left for France citing business reasons.

He is scheduled to return to Tunisia later this week to wrap up filming in the country. Reports say that Freida too could have taken a short break, but she decided to focus on her solo scenes.

" Being an A- list female star now, Freida's safety was of huge concern for the producers. That's the reason she was offered a chance to fly out to India or the US but she wasn't very keen. Instead, she wanted to go ahead with the shoot and avoid causing disturbance to the filming schedule," informed a source close to Freida.

The source also insisted that Banderas left only because he had a commitment in France and was in no mood to fly back home otherwise.

Freida has been shooting over the last weekend even as the law and order situation continued to worsen in Tunisia. Faced with a tight schedule, she has been working even on Saturdays and Sundays.

Both Freida and Banderas are also believed to be concerned for their Tunisian colleagues in the film unit.

Violent rioting spread across Tunisia as thousands gathered to protest against unemployment, rising food prices and President Zine al- Abidine Ben Ali's rule.

Over the recent past, many protesters have died after clashing with the police, who have opened fire to control violence on several occasions.

About 50 protesters have been killed in riots. Following two weeks of unrest, Ali fled to Saudi Arabia and a state of emergency has been declared.

Banderas has stated he is worried about the situation. " I hope everything comes to terms. I hope that both sides are open to understanding each other's position," he told the press.

Black Gold tells the story of the rivalry between two young emirs and is set against the backdrop of the oil boom in Arab states. Based on the Hans Ruesch book, The Great Thirst , the film is set in the 1930s.

Freida plays Princess Lallah, the daughter of Nessib, played by Banderas.

The film also stars new- age Hollywood action hero Mark Strong.

Tarak Ben Ammar of Quinta Communications, producers of Black Gold , has stated that Freida was perfect for the venture because she has established herself at the international level and her presence in the film could go a long way in making waves in major film markets outside the US, including India.

Copyright 2011 India Today Group. All Rights Reserved.

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company