“Like  my  ‘…Kisi ki Jaan’ macho hero Salman-Sir, I would also love to do a Marathi movie”, enthuses super-talented multi-linguist star Pooja Hegde.     --- by Chaitanya  Padukone                 

Everyone who has watched the fantastic trailer and the teasers of the chartbuster songs of mega-star Salman Khan’s latest movie ‘ Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ ( directed by Farhad Samji)  has been maha-impressed with the screen-presence, her dancing moves, her punchy dialogues and comic-timing of star heroine Pooja Hegde.  The evergreen beauty-queen  is being showered with praises and appreciation by her own ardent fans,  as well as the fans of her chivalrous screen-hero macho Salman “Jaan’ Khan.

Exuberant photogenic heroine Pooja Hegde seems ‘super-excited’ with her latest Hindi multi-starrer movie ‘’Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ when  re she is romantically paired opposite the nation’s heart-throb Salman Khan. As is known ‘ Kisi Ka Bhai..’ releases on April 21st, to coincide with the Eid festivities.  Her excitement was evident when I met lively actress Pooja ( for the first time)  for this media interview Even when you meet charming star-heroine Pooja Hegde for the first time, she responds with so much genuine ‘apnapan’, making you feel that you have always been knowing her over the past several years.

Pooja seemed so charged with admiration while speaking about her iconic screen-hero  “ It’s my good luck to get such an honour and rare opportunity to work with magnanimous-natured Salman-Sir (Khan)  ! Because not only is he an awesome actor, dancer and performer on-screen, but also he is so frank,  so real, so caring, down-to-earth, large-hearted off-screen. There is so much I could learn from him during the shoots and on the sets, “ says Pooja who shares that  in real-life she is quite different from her masti-bhara screen-character.

She explains “ In the movie ‘Kisi Ka Bhai…’ where I am shown as the ‘Jaan’, my romantic screen-character is crazy, comic, loud, constantly laughing. mimicking and an extrovert. In real life, my nature is quite opposite and in contrast to my filmy character. Do you know,  way back in 2012, I was quite shy and reserved by nature. Frankly,  I did not decide to take up film-acting, it was films which selected me and made me a star-heroine. Both God and destiny has been very kind to me,” shares Pooja who has invariably worked with all top superstars in Bollywood ( remember Pooja opposite Hrithik Roshan in 2016 movie ‘Mohenjo Daro’) now Salman Khan and also in Southside regional  (Telugu and Tamil)  movies as well. No many maybe aware the ‘secret’ why Pooja is suce a graceful dancer. “There is grace and rhythm in my dancing because I have trained for  10 years in classical dancing Bharata Natyam,” reveals Pooja who  has said that she enjoyed dancing and matching steps with Salman-Sir , Ram Charan-Sir and Venkatesh Sir in the fast-tempo ‘Yentamma’ ( lungi-dance) song. Which has Pooja also clad in an ethnic folded lungi..

  The latest superstar with whom ‘Hottie’ Hegde  worked is none other than Bollywood supremo Amitabh Bachchan in their series of soft-drink ‘Maaza’ impactful commercial ad-films as part of the soft-drink promotional campaign.. “ It’s like an ultimate wish for me, which has come true. Felt so fortunate and humbled working with legendary  Amitabh Bachchan Sir, “.gushes Pooja whose birthday falls on October 13^th , coincidentally just two days after that of Big B’s birthday   ( Oct 11) . Meanwhile the  ‘dream-wish list’ includes working in movies with mega co-stars like Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal and directors like Raju Hirani and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Interestingly , Pooja has a natural flair for comedy on-screen and she has proved her comic caliber-forte in multiple movies including ‘Housefull-4 ‘ the recent ‘Cirkus’ and now in ‘Kisi Ka Bhai …’. In fact she even won the coveted SIIMA  Award for her hilarious performance as a ‘stand-up comedian’ lead role in this Telugu 2021 movie ‘Most Eligible Bachelor. “ It’s true that making audiences laugh heartily  is much more tough, than enacting tear-jerker emotional scenes. Am really happy that audiences are loving my comic timings, But I do not become complacent with starry-success. Although I work whole=heartedly, I am still a ‘bachhi’ who is constantly learning. There is so much more that I still wish to do as far in terms of contrasting-variety of roles, including some prominent role in a children’s film,” says the Telugu-Tamil mega-star Pooja who would also love to consider more different regional films (including Kannada and Marathi) as well.  “ Like Salman-Sir --who has acted in Marathi movies ‘Lai Bhaari’ and ‘Ved’-- I had also mentioned to Riteish Deshmukh while shooting for ‘Housefull-4’, that I would love to do an impactful role in a Marathi movie with good content. Being originally a Mumbai-girl, I can speak Marathi quite fluently”. smiles Pooja