As a Hollywood star Freida Pinto is used to rubbing shoulders with the showbiz elite.

But the actress, 30, looked more than delighted to make the acquaintance of Roopohi the elephant.

Meeting the one-month-old animal, it reached out and shook her hand, a sign that it and its mother trusts her.

Getting close: Hollywood actress Frieda Pinto meets Roopohi, the one-month-old elephant in India

The touching scene is from this week’s episode of India: Nature’s Wonderland, a series currently airing on BBC2 as part of the channel’s India season.

Ben Southwell, the show’s producer, said: ‘Freida was really excited at the prospect of meeting the baby elephant and very taken with the whole experience.

'It was a very fortunate unplanned opportunity. We went to Kaziranga to film the One Horned Rhino [episode two of the series] and when we got there they asked if we’d also like the opportunity of meeting Roopohi. Of course we said yes.'

Miss Pinto, who found fame in 2008's Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, fronts the series which explores India’s natural wonders alongside wildlife expert Liz Bonnin and mountaineer Jon Gupta.

This Tuesday’s episode sees Miss Pinto visited mask makers who make colourful animal masks to bring ancient tales to life.

Discovery: Miss Pinto, who found fame in 2008's Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, fronts India: Nature's Wonderland alongside wildlife expert Liz Bonnin (pictured with Tiger Dancers ) and mountaineer Jon Gupta

She then rides an elephant to seek out one of the country’s rarest sights, the endangered One Horned Rhino and she meets a man who has spent 30 years planting his own rainforest in order to try and prevent the island he grew up on from being washed away.

Mr Gupta is impressed at the sure-footedness of Tahr, goats who are able to climb even the sheerest of slopes in search for food.