Actor and producer Pooja Batra has built a career spanning Bollywood, international projects and film production. Her debut production, Echoes Of Us, was screened at Cannes and Venice. During a recent visit to Goa, she spoke to us about the state, her evolving career and the need for greater agency and representation for women in the film industry.

Pooja first visited Goa as a child on a family holiday with 15 relatives. She shares, “It was a full family trip — both my masis and their families, my parents, my nani — we were 15 of us in total, eight cousins and seven adults.”

Her connection continued over the years. She adds, “I've always loved Goa. I've come here with family, with friends, with boyfriends, with better halves — in every phase of life.” She also shot Haseena Maan Jaayegi here, with Jimmy Gazdar’s house in Aguada used as her character’s home.

“I love the vibe here, when done right, it's a mix of Costa Rica and Ibiza,” she says. She further shares, “What do I enjoy most? Honestly, everything — the people, the place, the greenery. The pace of life here is just different.” She is, however, concerned about “so much construction and so much land being felled.” Her latest visit was for a shoot with friend Asif Merchant and her first-ever yoga retreat in India, which began on the 18th.

Pooja has been exploring different aspects of filmmaking. “As an actor, I just finished working on a Russian film called Magic Lamp — in Russian, Volshebnaya Lampa,” she says. She also turned producer with Echoes Of Us, starring Deepak Tijori and Iulia Vantur and directed by Joe Rajan.

“We won over 80 awards, both nationally and internationally, and it was screened at the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals this year,” she shares, adding that she is now developing two more films for which she has acquired book rights.

Pooja would also like to return to Bollywood in a bigger way. “I would absolutely love to work in Bollywood again in a bigger way if I like the set-up and the role offered,” she says. Having worked on The Rookie, Lethal Weapon and SEAL Team, she further says, “For me it's always about the story and the character, no matter where it is.”

Asked about the recent row involving Janhvi Kapoor and Peddi, Pooja says the issue goes beyond one actor or film. She shares, “I have known Janhvi since she was a student at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles. She is a hardworking, sincere girl, and what happened with Peddi is not just about her.”

She feels the controversy highlights a larger problem with how women are portrayed. She adds, “The objectification of a woman in Indian cinema is pathetic. It is weak writing.”

She questions what it means for newcomers, saying, “If an actress with such strong industry backing, with a big film, a big director, a big co-star, can still find herself in a situation where she is filmed that way and has to face that backlash, what chance does a newcomer have?”

On whether women have more power today, she says, “Yes, on paper we talk more about consent, about body image, about equal pay, about working hours and working conditions. Social media has given us a voice to speak up. But has the power really shifted on set, in the writing room, in the edit room? I don't think so.”

She further says, “Until we have more women writing, more women directing, more women producing and actually green-lighting films, this won't change.”