Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; March 16, 2020)

Actress Pooja Bhamrrah, who recently started her Bollywood journey, is happy that her hard work and talent are being noticed. The actress, who was seen in the Sonam Kapoor and Dulquer Salmaan-starrer The Zoya Factor, also featured in Fanney Khan. In the romantic web series Broken But Beautiful, she essayed the role of Porno, a fearless young woman.

A Mumbai girl, Pooja started her career as a model and moved on to anchoring shows. The actress, who studied biotechnology before she joined the industry, also hosted the Pro Kabaddi League on television. Ask her if it has been tougher for her to land good roles in Bollywood because she doesn’t hail from a film family, and she says, “Yes, it is definitely tougher for an actor who comes from a non-filmi background to get a break in the industry. But, I also feel that talent never goes unnoticed. One needs to be aware of the fact that it’s a business and many factors play a part in an individual getting a role. I feel that this is the best time to be an actor owing to the number of avenues that have opened up. Short films, web shows, independent directors making interesting content… there is no dearth of work if you are good at your craft.”

Talking about the kind of work that’s coming her way, Pooja says, “I am neither a Kapoor nor a Khan, so I can’t really be choosy about my work. I need to make the most of the opportunities that come my way. It is important to be careful about the kind of roles you add to your resume. Over the past few years, I have evolved as an actor.”

Pooja wants to do interesting roles that will make a difference to the project that she is a part of. She says, “I am still finding my feet in the industry and am extremely excited to see how my journey, as an actor, pans out. Being an anchor instilled a lot of confidence in me and helped me be comfortable in front of the camera.”

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 4, 2019)

Before heading out for his family vacation to London yesterday, Akshay Kumar shot a special promo for the Pro Kabaddi League at Mehboob Studios in Bandra, on Monday. mid-day has learnt that the actor will turn guest commentator for a kabaddi match in Mumbai scheduled for July 27.

A source reveals, "The league kick-starts in Hyderabad on July 20 and comes to Mumbai a week later. Considering Akshay has championed the cause of sports over the years, he has been requested to be the guest commentator for the maiden match in the city. He will also kick off the proceedings by singing the national anthem. It also perfectly times with the promotions of his next, Mission Mangal. The actor has expressed enthusiasm to be part of the event. Of course, the final details will be worked out closer to the match, depending on the actor's schedule."

With the men's kabaddi squad unable to reach Asian Games final for the first time since 1990, Abhishek Bachchan says Pro Kabaddi teams need to learn lessons from defeat
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 27, 2018)

For the first time since kabaddi was included in the Asian Games in 1990, the men's team failed to reach the finals, thus seeing an abrupt end to India's unchallenged domination in the game. Abhishek Bachchan, who has championed kabaddi in an otherwise cricket-obsessed nation through his Pro Kabaddi team — Jaipur Pink Panthers — feels it is up to the players to take the defeat in their stride and surge ahead with renewed vigour. The actor tells mid-day that the episode should serve as a lesson to the teams in the Pro Kabaddi league too.

"Everyone is heartbroken, but at the same time it is good for the sport. It is for the first time that someone knocked out the dominant country. This indicates that it's time to pull up our socks. It's going to make the Pro Kabbadi league even more interesting because now, our players will have a point to prove," says Bachchan.

Choosing to look at the brighter side of things, the actor points out that the country is going through a revolution where sports that were ignored for long, are finally getting their due. It was this very objective, he says, that had made him take a sabbatical from acting for two years and put his might behind the football league, Indian Supper League.

"I believe that with all the professional sporting leagues coming in, it has improved the quality of the sports. The world FIFA ranking of Indian football team has gone up immensely. With the Indian players getting to play under the world class coaches and share the dressing room with some renowned names, the standard is improving."


The Indian kabaddi team at the Asian Games 2018