Every time I took a break, I moved to the next level
Pooja Hegde speaks up on reports that she has been turning down films
By : Sashidhar Adivi
Update: 2024-02-17 19:00 GMT
Pooja Hegde was in the news recently — the reports said she has been refusing films in Telugu. Denying these allegations, the actress says a lot has been written about her over the years.
“Someone wrote I bought a private jet! My mom read it and asked me if it was true!” she says, in a lighter vein.
Turning serious, she says, “I take up films only if I am excited about them, because I don’t want to drag myself to the sets. As an artiste, I love to do different things. I wanted to do something that excites the audience and fans. I heard some narrations but they did not excite me, because either my role was unimportant to the narrative or the story wasn’t about me but something else. So I would rather wait and pick up the right film.”
Elaborating, she says, “I go by my gut feeling and that’s the most important thing for me. She adds that, after hearing the narration, if she still has to think whether she wants to do the film, “that means I am not confident about it. 90 per cent of the films I have done are those that I instantly felt ‘wow’.”
But gaps have been part and parcel of her film journey. Put that to her and she says it all happened for a reason. The actress draws a parallel between her situation and Allu Arjun’s dialogue in one of her earlier films, Ala Vaikuntapuram Lo — “Gap ivvala...vacchindi...” (I did not give a break, it came).
After her debut film Mugamoodi, she took a break and then picked up Oka Laila Kosam, Mukunda and Mohenjo Daro. “I signed a two-year contract for Mohenjo Daro, so there was a gap,” she explains. Later she signed DJ, Saakshyam and Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava. “And After I took up Ala Vaikuntapuram Lo, Covid-19 struck and there was a gap again. After Radhe Shyam and Acharya I am now going through a gap. I realised that every time I took a break, I moved to the next level,” she smiles.
Pooja has worked with several stars in various industries and proved her mettle. But actors crave validation, she notes.
The effort to get a film in any language is the same, she says, but the art lies in choosing the right one.
Away from work, Pooja loves to travel. She calls that her ‘stress buster.’ “When I am in India, I am constantly thinking about work, so whenever I am out of the country, I relax; I like to travel and learn about different cultures. I come back rejuvenated. It’s important to remember that life is happening while work is happening; it’s important we strike a balance,” she asserts, adding that travelling made her realise the world is so much bigger than what she had thought.
“When you go out and see people live a whole other life, it’s exciting. Travelling gave me a new perspective in life,” she says. The Housefull 4 star’s social media handle reveals her as a fashionista. Asked what fashion is to her, she replies, “It’s like finding my own self. Fashion has its own power and voice. I just continue to express myself through whatever I wear, and I am glad that people love it.”
Interestingly, there have been hardly any rumours about her personal life. How did she manage that? “I like to keep some things private...I don’t post things that are personal,” she laughs. When Pooja isn’t shooting for films, she is either reading books or watching films. “I am a gamer too,” she says.
Travelling gave me a new perspective in life. I like to travel and learn about different cultures. I come back to the sets rejuvenated. It’s significant to remember that life is happening while work is happening. it’s important we strike a balance.
I take up films only if I am excited about them, because I don’t want to drag myself to the sets. As an artiste, I love to do different things. I wanted to do something that excites the audience and fans. I heard some narrations but they did not excite me, because either my role was unimportant to the narrative or the story wasn’t about me but something else. So I would rather wait and pick up the right film.”
“Someone wrote I bought a private jet! My mom read it and asked me if it was true!” she says, in a lighter vein.
Turning serious, she says, “I take up films only if I am excited about them, because I don’t want to drag myself to the sets. As an artiste, I love to do different things. I wanted to do something that excites the audience and fans. I heard some narrations but they did not excite me, because either my role was unimportant to the narrative or the story wasn’t about me but something else. So I would rather wait and pick up the right film.”
Elaborating, she says, “I go by my gut feeling and that’s the most important thing for me. She adds that, after hearing the narration, if she still has to think whether she wants to do the film, “that means I am not confident about it. 90 per cent of the films I have done are those that I instantly felt ‘wow’.”
But gaps have been part and parcel of her film journey. Put that to her and she says it all happened for a reason. The actress draws a parallel between her situation and Allu Arjun’s dialogue in one of her earlier films, Ala Vaikuntapuram Lo — “Gap ivvala...vacchindi...” (I did not give a break, it came).
After her debut film Mugamoodi, she took a break and then picked up Oka Laila Kosam, Mukunda and Mohenjo Daro. “I signed a two-year contract for Mohenjo Daro, so there was a gap,” she explains. Later she signed DJ, Saakshyam and Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava. “And After I took up Ala Vaikuntapuram Lo, Covid-19 struck and there was a gap again. After Radhe Shyam and Acharya I am now going through a gap. I realised that every time I took a break, I moved to the next level,” she smiles.
Pooja has worked with several stars in various industries and proved her mettle. But actors crave validation, she notes.
The effort to get a film in any language is the same, she says, but the art lies in choosing the right one.
Away from work, Pooja loves to travel. She calls that her ‘stress buster.’ “When I am in India, I am constantly thinking about work, so whenever I am out of the country, I relax; I like to travel and learn about different cultures. I come back rejuvenated. It’s important to remember that life is happening while work is happening; it’s important we strike a balance,” she asserts, adding that travelling made her realise the world is so much bigger than what she had thought.
“When you go out and see people live a whole other life, it’s exciting. Travelling gave me a new perspective in life,” she says. The Housefull 4 star’s social media handle reveals her as a fashionista. Asked what fashion is to her, she replies, “It’s like finding my own self. Fashion has its own power and voice. I just continue to express myself through whatever I wear, and I am glad that people love it.”
Interestingly, there have been hardly any rumours about her personal life. How did she manage that? “I like to keep some things private...I don’t post things that are personal,” she laughs. When Pooja isn’t shooting for films, she is either reading books or watching films. “I am a gamer too,” she says.
Travelling gave me a new perspective in life. I like to travel and learn about different cultures. I come back to the sets rejuvenated. It’s significant to remember that life is happening while work is happening. it’s important we strike a balance.
I take up films only if I am excited about them, because I don’t want to drag myself to the sets. As an artiste, I love to do different things. I wanted to do something that excites the audience and fans. I heard some narrations but they did not excite me, because either my role was unimportant to the narrative or the story wasn’t about me but something else. So I would rather wait and pick up the right film.”