In bagging films that span different languages, Pooja Hegde may have fulfilled her acting ambitions. But, there is still one goal that she feels is a distant one—getting a bound script to prepare for a role. It was assumed that only decades ago were actors expected to work without a script. “It still pretty much happens,” she smiles.

The actor, who features in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, says, “I have never [had the chance to] rehearse for a film. I envy people who have bound scripts. Sometimes, I am given my lines on the set, and sometimes, a while before.”

Even while working on Salman Khan’s film, which has failed to impress critics, Hegde says she received her lines on the set. “We just figured out [the lines] on the set. This experience has made me a better actor. But, here, I know the language, so it’s easier to memorize it. Having a bound script before going to shoot is the [ultimate] dream,” she says, adding that the tendency to go-with-the-flow is less common among new-age directors “who prepare a lot before they come on set because they like to have things figured out”.

Her filmography may boast of big-budget hero-driven movies including Allu Arjun-led Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham, and Maharshi with Mahesh Babu. However, films of this kind, she agrees, are criticized for significantly under-utilizing their female stars.

But Hegde views this scrutiny differently. “The grass is always greener on the other side. When you do too many films of this type, you begin to harbour desires of doing something different. But, there are some people who play meaty roles and want to do these kinds of movies instead. I don’t come from a film family, and have pieced my career together, one film at a time. I didn’t have 20 films offered to me to choose from. I took what was available at the time. I selected what I thought was right. Would I like to do more? Of course. But this has been my career, so far,” she signs off.