‘My introduction to art happened in Lucknow’

American-Indian actor Pooja Kumar, the leading lady of Kamal Haasan’s new film ‘Vishwaroop II’, credits Lucknow for learning the first steps of her acting career. On Monday, she organised a special screening of the film for her relatives here.

“I am very happy to be back in Lucknow, from where it all began. My introduction to art, cinema and India is from this city, which is also my mother’s birthplace. I wished to bring the film here -- from where it all started,” says the actor.

“My first trip to India was to Lucknow, as an infant. Since then, I have been coming here every year. My first performance was at a Mathur family event, when I was 5 years old,” says Pooja.

“Here, I learnt ‘Kathak’ from Om Prakash Mishraji (Birju Maharaj’s nephew) and then in Allahabad. Born and brought up in America, you don’t have a sense of family, the ‘apnapan’ and the Indian culture, which I got to know here while staying with my cousins. I also learnt ‘Bharatnatyam’, which is how I got interested in art forms. Finally, it got translated into a profession in America,” she says.

We did we not see her in any Hindi film after Vishwaroop?

“I live in American and do a lot of things there too,” says Pooja. “I did an English film ‘Brawl In Cell Block 99’, produced a short film, and did two plays. In India, I worked in South Indian cinema. I did ‘Uthama Villian’ with Kamal sir, another Tamil film and an action-packed Telugu film ‘PSV Garuda Vega’. Vishwaroopam (Vishwaroop in Hindi) was made in Tamil and Hindi both, so my Bollywood debut happened by default,” she says.

Pooja says some Hindi film offers too have come her way, but she can’t talk about those projects at the moment.

Meanwhile, she has some plans for this special city. “I will definitely do some projects here, as Lucknow is a part of my life. But I am still figuring out the ‘how’, as you have to put together a cast, a script and a technical and production team. I have a couple of projects in my head, and it’s just a matter of time when that happens,” she says.

Vishwaroop II, sequel to Vishwaroop, presents Pooja in some breathtaking underwater stunt scenes. She reveals that the underwater sequence, lasting around four minutes, was shot in seven days.

“I am a certified scuba diver. After I told Kamal sir, he came back saying that we have underwater action. I was like really…and I was ready to take up the challenge. I was very sure about the safety aspect. He built a whole set. Conditions were tough, as we could not shoot for more than 30 minutes at a time, and you can’t hear easily (underwater). My workshops helped me to sail through,” she says.

Talking about the film’s timing, with Independence Day around the corner, Pooja says, “The film is very pertinent to the Independence Day, as it’s about our country and taking care of it more than ever right now. It has a voice and a vision. We have combined Indian sentiments with western edginess, so that the action is par excellence. Also, the romance is very natural and the underwater sequence is something very unique.”

My first trip to India was to Lucknow, as an infant. Since then, I have been coming here every year. My first performance was at a Mathur family event, when I was 5 years old

POOJA KUMAR ACTOR