Pooja Hegde shares her experience working in Bollywood
Pooja Hegde shares her experience working in Bollywood
Amidst celebrating As her 35th birthday, actress Pooja Hegde’s journey continues to reflect the paradox of modern Indian cinema, where popularity does not always count on box-office numbers
Notably, Pooja has danced alongside Salman Khan, romanced Hrithik Roshan on screen, and charmed audiences opposite Shahid Kapoor. Yet, regardless featuring in big-budget films with some of Bollywood’s leading men, Pooja Hegde is still searching for her first major Hindi film hit. As the actress turned 35 on Monday, her journey stands as a curious case of unmatched popularity without box office validation.
Mumbai born Pooja Hegde has carved a niche for herself across the southern film industries. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer and alumna of Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School, she nurtured dreams of performing arts from a young age. Before films came calling, she stepped into the limelight through modeling, finishing as the second runner-up at the Miss Universe India pageant in 2010.
Her cinematic journey had kicked-off in Tamil cinema with the 2012 superhero film Mugamoodi, opposite Jiiva. The film, inspired by Bruce Lee’s legacy, performed well in the Tamil market and introduced Pooja as a fresh face with screen presence and poise.
Two years later, she made her Telugu debut opposite Naga Chaitanya in Oka Laila Kosam (2014), which received a warm response and opened the doors to several high-profile South Indian projects.
Pooja went on to act in commercially successful Telugu films such as Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, Maharshi, DJ, Beast, Acharya, and F3: Fun and Frustration, establishing her as one of the leading female stars in the South.
However, her transition to Bollywood has not mirrored her southern success. Pooja made her Hindi film debut opposite Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker’s historical drama Mohenjo Daro released in 2016. Though the music topped charts, the film failed to impress audiences or critics, turning into a major box office disappointment.
Years later, she appeared opposite Salman Khan in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023), which too failed to recover its production costs. Her recent outing Deva, alongside Shahid Kapoor, added to her list of underperforming Hindi ventures, marking what many call a “hat-trick of flops” in Bollywood.
Yet, notwithstanding absence of a Hindi blockbuster, Pooja Hegde remains one of the most sought-after names in Indian cinema. With her graceful screen presence, multilingual appeal, and devoted fan base stretching from Mumbai to Hyderabad and Chennai, her stardom remains unshaken.
News Edit KV Raman
