Even though she believes that it was destiny that she ventured into showbiz, Pooja Hegde admits that it was her own decision to work across different film industries in India. The actress, who will be seen in the pan-India film Radhe Shyam with Prabhas, believes that shuttling between various industries has rewarded her in many ways.

She says, “You get lucky when opportunity meets hard work. I always wanted to be an Indian actress — not identified by or restricted to cinema of any one language. I work on one principle — I will go where the content excites me, irrespective of language. I have never wanted to be restricted by language barriers.”

She adds, “When you work in any language, you establish a deep connection with the people who understand it. They get even more excited and respectful of you when they realise that their language is not yours, and yet, you’re making an effort to embrace it and enter their world. Irrespective of the language of a project, I dub my own portions with proper pronunciations. It was a conscious decision to work in different languages, which is paying off today. If there is a great Marathi film, I would love to do it, irrespective of the budget.”

Pooja and Prabhas started working on Radhe Shyam in 2018. It has taken four years for the film to finally hit cinemas. Pooja says, “I think more than me, you should ask the director (Radha Krishna Kumar) how it was for him. We’ve all worked on different things while this film was being made, but he has stuck to this one project for about five years — four years of getting it together and a year of prep. As for me, I was excited to play Prerna, who has so many shades and complexities. She has a strong presence in the story. In fact, if you watch the film closely, you will realise that I grew up in the process of making this film. In these four years, the experience of going from one project to another and handling a layered character like Prerna helped me mature as an artiste and as a person. There are places in the film where the evolution is evident, and that’s something I am excited to show to the world.”

Sharing screen space with Khan, Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali actor Pooja Hegde hopes film will be a learning experience
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; April 12, 2020)

After a promising debut in Bollywood with Mohenjo Daro (2016), Pooja Hegde has her eyes trained on the Salman Khan starrer Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali.

The level of comfort she may have developed with Khan following their interactions in social gatherings may not necessarily translate on set, says Hegde, adding, "One has to up their game when working with Salman. He has been working for years, so I am nervous. Working with stars may be intimidating, but it is a learning experience for an actor [like myself]. The script is cool and funny."

While shooting was to roll in August, she admits the ongoing Coronavirus situation has played mischief with the schedule and she isn't aware of the revised schedule.

Farhad Samji's directorial venture is among the Bollywood films she is juggling with projects from the South. "Balancing films from two industries is not easy. You have to juggle schedules in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and overseas. At one time, I had to hire a private jet to meet deadlines. I believe doing one film is easy because you get to sink your teeth into a character. Taking to different characters every 10 days, like I do, is also a challenge."

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.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; October 24, 2019)

After making a mark as a model, Pooja Hegde went on to make her debut in the Tamil film industry in 2012. A couple of films in Tamil and Telugu later, she made her foray into Hindi films with Ashutosh Gowariker’s Mohenjo Daro (2016). And now, she is all geared up for her second Bollywood outing with Housefull 4. In a chat with BT, the actress talks about the reincarnation comedy, the #MeToo Movement that impacted the film’s shoot last year, and why slapstick comedies will never go out of fashion. Excerpts:

With an ensemble cast featuring Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Riteish Deshmukh, Kriti Sanon and Kriti Kharbanda, did it ever cross your mind that you might not have enough screen time in Housefull 4?
This film is a reincarnation comedy, and the trailer has already given you a glimpse of the massive confusion that is in store. The franchise has always had an ensemble cast and criss-crossing plot lines. It never crossed my mind that I might have lesser screen time than my co-stars because right at the narration stage, we knew what we were getting into. I was driven to play a new character and try a genre I’ve not really tried before. Also, I was getting a chance to work with the masters of comedy — Akshay, Riteish and Farhad (Samji, who came on board as director). I learnt a lot from them by merely observing. Working with an ensemble cast is always a learning experience. You learn to work in tandem and deliver punches, which are well-timed.

What was the atmosphere like on the set?
It was crazy! It actually felt like masti karne ke beech mein hum shot de rahe hain. Akshay sir is like a child; he can’t sit calmly in one place. Riteish and he are always up to something. We played games like ludo, and dog and the bone on the set of this film. The greatest confusion was caused by the name Kriti. We had two Kritis (Kriti Sanon and Kriti Kharbanda) on the set. Eventually, people started addressing them as Sanon and Kharbanda. I was shooting for three films down South alongside Housefull 4, so I was perpetually hopping locations. It became a joke on the set, ‘Pooja absent hai? Pata karo kaunse desh mein shoot kar rahi hai…’ Akshay sir would often joke, ‘Kitnaa note chhap rahi hai yeh ladki!’

The original director of Housefull 4 (Sajid Khan) was changed halfway through the shoot when his name cropped up in a #MeToo case. Writer Farhad Samji then took charge. How did that pan out on the set?
It was a difficult phase for the film, but the production house never let the heat get to us. Farhad had written the film and he knew the space very well. It was only natural for him to take over from Sajid Khan. We all knew what was going on, but the situation was handled smoothly.

What’s your take on the #MeToo Movement today, given that your film was one of the first to get affected?
It’s just great that the movement has begun. As an actress and as a woman, I feel that this movement should not be taken lightly. It has brought about a huge change in the industry and it was necessary. I understand that it’s not easy to speak out about what you’ve suffered, but more power to the women who have done so.

Moving on, comedy is not an easy genre to handle. With slapstick humour, it can be even more difficult. Did you have to prepare yourself before shooting?
In films like Housefull 4, there is no scope for prep; in fact, it’s about not prepping at all. It’s better to go with the flow and discuss scenes, which we did every day. We would all rehearse our scenes, but sometimes, the dialogues would change at the last minute for the better. This film taught me to be receptive and more spontaneous. It also taught me the art of being OTT where it’s required. In a film like this, if you don’t go over the top, you don’t deliver the goods.

Given how challenging it is to make people laugh, why did you choose comedy for your second outing in Bollywood?
I chose this film because it’s quite different from what I did in my Bollywood debut. Mohenjo Daro was a serious drama with a specific look. After that, I needed some comic relief, too. Making people laugh is a big deal and it feels great when you crack it.

There was a time when the number of slapstick comedies releasing every year was quite high. That has changed in the last five years,making Housefull 4 among the few sole survivors in the genre. Your thoughts?
We say that the audience is changing, but there is always a parallel audience for films like Housefull 4. My father loves films that make him laugh, and where he doesn’t have to think a lot. On the other hand, my mother’s taste is quite different. So, there is always an audience for all kinds of cinema. In fact, one of the reasons to work in Housefull 4 was my father. I want him to love one of my comedies as much as he loves other people’s comedies.

Pooja Hegde on Prabhas with whom she resumes shooting a love story next month; hoping second Hindi film puts her back on track in B-Town
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 18, 2019)

On October 13, Pooja Hedge brought in her 29th birthday on a flight, en route to a resort. “My staff got a cake along and we cut it while still in air. The rest of the day was spent with family, away from work and the phone,” she smiles.

The model-turned-actress made her debut with the much-talked about Hrithik Roshan-starrer, Mohenjo Daro, which went bust. Following the debacle, she moved down South where she snapped up films with all the big names like Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun and Jr NTR. Now, she’s back in B-Town with the fourth instalment of Sajid Nadiadwala’s comic franchise Housefull.

Does she regret opening her innings with Ashutosh Gowariker’s period romance? She retorts, “Not at all, it ticked all the boxes on paper, right from an established actor to a successful director and producer. It was a right decision taken at that point of time. You can’t predict the fate of a film and this one unfortunately didn’t do well. And since I don’t come from a film background, it set me back. But with Housefull 4, things are now moving around.” The franchise is known to be driven by its actors, with Akshay Kumar at the centre. But Pooja insists that the series has evolved and this instalment is different. “The girls aren’t dumb, but strong, independent and badass. And the story is a comedy of errors revolving around six principal characters,” she assures, quick to add that Housefull is still Akshay’s franchise and he is the ‘hero’ of Part 4 too.

On her part, she reasons, she had wanted to explore the comic space and is ecstatic she got to do it with the best in business. “There’s no actor who does comedy better than Akshay sir. I love the way he improvises on the set. Hera Pheri is my all-time favourite, followed by Housefull and Bhool Bhulaiyaa,” Pooja smiles.

In November, the actress kicks off a 20-day schedule of her next, an “intense, romantic saga”, in which she is paired with Prabhas. “It’s set in 1970s Europe, the scale is humongous and it’s one of the best scripts I’ve come across,” she says, quick to add that her co-star, a superstar down South, is one of the nicest human beings she knows. “It is amazing that something as big as Baahubali happened to such a nice person. He’s so chilled out, considerate.”

She had shot for a few days with Prabhas a year ago during which they bonded over their shared passion for cinema, nature and food. “He loves to eat and he loves to feed. His cook brought great meals for us on the set,” she reminisces, admitting that shooting for the two films is a completely different experience. “The Prabhas film is a mature love story and I come on the set all prepped up while for Housefull, the lesser you prepare, the better it is as you need to play off each other energies.”

As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 23, 2018)

The first time I got paid for a job was during my school days when I was eight. My grandfather was an active member of the Mumbai Athletic Association and since I knew a bit of calligraphy, he made me write the names in my flowing hand on the certificates handed out to student participants during sport meets. The Rs 200 I got made me feel like I had won a jackpot!

Growing up, I was a shy girl who suffered from acute stage fright. When I joined college, I decided I needed to become more outgoing and started signing up for everything. This boosted my confidence but once, during a college event in 2009, while dancing on Madhuri Dixit’s “Aaja Nachle” song, I just froze and went on doing the same step for four minutes. Around 15,000 spectators saw me make a fool of myself but surprisingly, I was spotted by a Miss India talent scout who urged me to enter the contest. My first reaction was, “I don’t look good.” I’d been a tomboy with short hair and braces, never touched my mother’s lipstick or dressed up like a girl. But she insisted I give it a shot. So, I took part in the pageant that year and though I didn’t make it to the final round, I was voted Miss India Talented. The next year, I made it to the final round of Miss India South and was the second runners-up in the Miss Universe 2010 contest.

After that, I was flooded with offers for ramp shows and ads. I started with a Rs 3000 a day pay check, which went up to Rs 5000 and then doubled. Meanwhile, I had started getting offers for films down South but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to act. A friend insisted I send my pictures and I ended up bagging the lead in the first Tamil superhero film, Mugamoodi. I still wasn’t sure but my mom convinced me, reasoning that people pay to learn acting and here I was getting paid to learn how to act. The film opened on August 31, 2012, was dubbed in Telugu as Mask and released in Hindi as Mahabali Ek Super Hero.

I continued with my commercials but honestly, that wasn’t a very exciting phase. For a year, I had been giving auditions but the jobs I wanted, eluded me. I only ended up getting work I didn’t want to do. Then, one day, just when I was getting into an ad audition, a crow shat on me. “This might as well be lucky for me,” I consoled myself. To my surprise, I ended up being short-listed.

After one more test, the girl auditioning me reacted with a “Good… Good!” Nervously, I asked her if I could do a take. She told me shortly it wasn’t required. It seemed like she had lost interest and turning to my mother, I sighed, “I don’t think I’m getting the ad.” But after some days, my manager called me to inform that I had got it. She was more excited than I was. I realised later why when I discovered that it featured Ranbir Kapoor opposite me.

That commercial grabbed a lot of eyeballs. Sunita Gowariker spotted me in it and recommended me to her filmmaker husband Ashutosh for his period extravaganza, Mohenjo Daro. And I began my innings in Bollywood with another reel life superhero, Hrithik Roshan.

Today, I have the fourth instalment of Sajid Nadidawala’s Housefull franchise to look forward to. And Saaho, the action thriller opposite Baahubali superstar Prabhas. Who would have imagined that shy Pooja would be happy in the spotlight today but that’s life!

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 19, 2018)

Putting the debacle of Hrithik Roshan starrer Mohenjo Daro (2016) behind her, Pooja Hegde has bagged a bilingual — Hindi and Telugu — opposite South superstar Prabhas. With the shoot of Saaho delayed, the untitled project is likely to be Prabhas’s next to hit screens after Baahubali 2 (2017).

Hegde says there was “no question of not going ahead with a film like this.” “The director [Radha Krishna Kumar] and producers [Vamsi Krishna and U Pramod] came to me for the narration. It’s a thorough entertainer,” she says, adding that she is yet to meet her co-star.

Post the mammoth success of the Baahubali franchise, Prabhas’s larger-than-life persona could make newbies uncomfortable. But Hegde says her excitement overrides her anxiety. “For me, it was intimidating to work with Hrithik as well. But I managed that fine. I don’t look at this film as something that should intimidate me. It’s an opportunity to prove myself. Prabhas has done that already, it’s my turn now. “

The bilingual, which rolls in July, marks her second film in Hindi. Though it has been almost two years since her first Hindi film, the actor says she “never let it become a confidence issue. The reviews didn’t slam me. I was praised for my screen presence. Whether a film does well or not, is not in my hands.”

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; May 27, 2017)