In a career spanning about a decade, actor Pooja Hegde has only done two Hindi films. Talking about her sporadic Bollywood career, Hegde says, “After Mohenjo Daro (2016), I waited, and after a big gap, did Housefull 4 (2019) because the banner was good. That film was a stepping stone for me. It gave me Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali and Cirkus (her upcoming Hindi movies).”

Quiz her if she was unsatisfied with the offers coming her way, and the 31-year-old says, “It was a conscious decision to not do Hindi films. I didn’t want to do them just for the sake of it or do roles that didn’t matter to the storyline. I’ve been offered films opposite big stars, but those characters didn’t add any value to the script.”

During her time away from Bollywood, she worked intensively in the Tamil and Telugu film industries and created a fanbase for herself, which she believes gave her the confidence to navigate through her Hindi film career.

“My biggest boon is that the Telugu audience has accepted me as one of their own. The south has given me so much respect. And that gave me strength to pick and choose the films I wanted to do in Hindi. Sometimes, it (Bollywood) can be a little unforgiving if you aren’t from a film background or you don’t have the right push; it takes some time to get the kinds of roles that you want to do,” Hegde elaborates.

But the Radhe Shyam actor is happy that she is taken more seriously today. “After Most Eligible Bachelor (2021) did well at the box office, people began to take me more seriously and began to think that I’m more bankable because it grossed Rs. 50 crore. Now, I’m getting a lot of female-oriented films,” Hegde wraps up.