Pooja Hegde says she became selective post Mohenjo Daro as she was doing well in Tamil and Telugu films
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 26, 2019)

Right before her second Hindi film Housefull 4’s release, Pooja Hegde is actually excited and “not nervous” at all. “The promotions have been a whirlwind and the film is here now,” says the Mohenjo Daro (2016) actor. Ask her what does she feel about the film being called a mindless comedy and she says, “The film is fun and people should watch it for enjoyment. It’s not mindless, it’s a mad film that’s not pretending to be something else. It is a perfect Diwali release. Working with Akshay Kumar sir and the other actors in the cast was fabulous and great fun. Akshay sir’s comic timing is epic and I don’t think anyone does comedy better than him today. He is so good at it even after so many years of being in the business,” she says.

While working with an ensemble cast that included Bobby Deol and Ritesh Deshmukh, Pooja was thrilled to be working with Kriti Sanon and Kriti Kharbanda. “For once, Pooja wasn’t the common name. Everywhere I go, there is a Pooja as it is a common name in India be it my locality, class or college. But on the sets, there were two Kritis and that made me very happy. Eventually, I began to know them well and later we would address them by their surnames,” she shares.

Though she has been an actor for seven years now, she has done a number of films in Telugu and Tamil. Housefull 4 is her second Hindi film, which she feels was the best choice for her. “I didn’t come from a film background and didn’t have someone backing me in the industry. So, your first film becomes important for you and the industry. But if your first film doesn’t work, it sets you back a little bit,” she says, adding, “Fortunately, for Mohenjo Daro, I didn’t get any criticism. After the film, I wanted to be selective. And since I was doing well in other languages, it gave me the power to choose what films I wanted to do in Hindi. I felt Housefull 4 was the right film as people would see me as a modern girl and I also got to be part of a period drama,” she says.