I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN ‘INDIAN’ ACTOR: POOJA

Surely, the lockdown period stopped people in their tracks. But actor Pooja Hegde can be called an exception because since November last year, the actor has been out and about, travelling constantly to places such as Italy, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ooty. “Just the other day, my make-up artiste pointed out to me that since things have opened, we have taken over 15 flights. So, it has been crazy. But I am not complaining at all. It is really exciting,” says Hegde, who has just wrapped up a schedule of Rohit Shetty’s Cirkus with Ranveer Singh. “It’s been amazing, and Ranveer’s comic timing is also great. For someone like me, who is like a baby in the industry, I was just sitting on set and kind of absorbing everything,” says the actor, who made her Bollywood debut with Mohenjo Daro (2016). Going forward, Hedge also has Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali with Salman Khan, Prabhasstarrer Radhe Shyam and a Telugu biggie, Most Eligible Bachelor alongside Akhil Akkineni. “I have always wanted to balance out my career between the two industries (Telugu and Hindi) and 2021 is looking like that as I have two Telugu films and Hindi films each,” says the actor, adding that she is grateful to be a ‘pan-india actor’. “I’ve always wanted to be like an ‘Indian’ actress. I don’t think language is a barrier. I want to squeeze in more languages like may be do a Tamil film next year which I have been offered. I don’t want to be boxed in any way,” she says. But can doing films in multiple languages lead to overexposure? “I don’t think so. Such things aren’t usually said for male actors so I don’t know why it’s said for female ones. In Hindi, I’ve had two releases so I am still new here,” says Hegde, who has “an idea in mind” vis-a-vis the next five years but she doesn’t “want to say anything and jinx it”. Hegde is now looking forward to working with Khan. She says, “Whenever I have met Salman, he has always been warm. So, I want to know what its like to be with him on a set of a film.

As Pooja Hegde successfully straddles her career between Telugu and Hindi film industries, the actor says she doesn’t want to be ‘boxed in any way’

The Cannes Film Festival, may be pushed back from its usual May date because of the Covid-19 crisis. Organisers said on Wednesday that they need some time “to evaluate the situation at the start of the year” before making a decision.