It seems that Slumdog Millionaire beauty Freida Pinto might be keeping a big secret. The Daily Telegraph has a source close to the actress claiming that Freida and Rohan Antao might actually be married. Antao was previously known as Freida’s “boyfriend” or her “fiance”, but husband is a new twist. This weekend, word had come out that Freida had broken up with Antao, and she identified herself in an interview with People magazine as “single”.

When I wrote the original story of Antao and Pinto breaking up, I kept quiet about something that bothered me – the report that the two twenty-something Indians had been living together for several years. It seemed like nothing in Western culture, but that kind of shacking up (amongst upper and middle-classes) is still a cultural taboo in India. I thought at the time that Indian cultural norms must be changing, and that I was out of touch, but maybe not. It would make a certain amount of sense if they were really married, or at least their parents really believed the marriage was impending. The Daily Telegraph has more:

Freida Pinto, the star of Slumdog Millionaire, has been hiding a secret husband, a close friend of the couple has claimed.

The Indian actress, 24, does not mention her private life in interviews but reports at the weekend said she had separated from her fiance, Rohan Antao.

However, it is now claimed that the couple married in Goa in December 2007 and Pinto kept the wedding secret because aspiring actresses in Bollywood stand a greater chance of scoring roles if they are single.

Antao is said to be “heartbroken” after Pinto ended their relationship last month, citing the pressures of her newfound fame. They had been together since 2004, when both were students at St Xavier’s College in Mumbai.

The friend told The Daily Telegraph: “Freida and Rohan fell in love at college and were extremely close. They were great together. The marriage was an impulsive decision and both of them went to a designer to get the gown made.”

“Rohan was with her throughout her years as an actress when she was not at all famous. He supported her during the filming of Slumdog and the pair even celebrated the film’s success at the Toronto Film Festival together last year. However, she just stopped calling him around the time of the Golden Globes awards, when the film started to make waves internationally. He is completely shocked at being dumped and is heartbroken.”

Antao, a Mumbai-based marketing executive, is said to have helped Pinto’s career, developing her website and handling her publicity. At his home yesterday, he did not deny that the couple had wed but declined to comment on the marriage.

The Oscar-nominated Slumdog Millionaire is Pinto’s first film and has catapulted her to fame. She began her career as a model and won the role of Latika in an open casting call. Her performance was nominated for a Bafta. She now plans to relocate to New York in pursuit of Hollywood roles.

Last night her Indian agent, Meenakshi Gehani, said: “We do not want to comment on this matter. However, if she is married then whoever is claiming it should produce a marriage certificate.”

From The Daily Telegraph

If Freida is really married, its going to take more than just some unreturned phone calls to make her single. Girl’s going to have to get a divorce – which is also a bigger deal in India than in the West. I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt for now – a marriage is a pretty big thing to hide, and I think we would have heard about it before now if she really was married. My guess is that Freida and Antao really were intending to marry, and that’s why they were living together.

Update: Thanks to Fame Pictures for these photos of Freida with Rohan Antao and friends

Freida Pinto is shown at the DGA Awards on 1/31/09. Credit: Fame Pictures