MODEL-ANCHOR-ACTOR-AUTHOR CUM FOOD INFLUENCER POOJA MISRA WANTS TO BE VOCAL FOR LOCAL

In this exclusive e-mail interview for bollyy.com and Mayapuri, POOJA MISRA talks to JYOTHI VENKATESH

Guess whose back? Our very own model/anchor/actor/author she has written four books), food influencer and now a meme, Pooja Misra.

She is a 'viral sensation' and is being admired for her style and gift of the gab, what with her dialogues, “I kicked it by mistake ", “You are asking for it! You are dying for it! ",”Stop mooching off me", "Get off my back!” becoming iconic globally?

A video clip of a fight Pooja had when she participated in Asia’s biggest reality show Bigg Boss has gone viral worldwide.

When asked for her candid reaction, Pooja quips, "It feels fabulous to be finally acknowledged for "being me".

Initially, when I used to get a lot of DMS on Instagram from USA, U.K. and Europe stating that my video from Bigg Boss has become viral, I laughed it off!

However, when Hollywood actor Kal Penn was mouthing my dialogues in an interlude with Nikki Hailey and Bollywood dancing diva Nora Fatehi, that's when I realized "Pooja what is this behavior? " Viral clip had hit home worldwide.

Saint hoax a socio- political entertainment handle from Hollywood termed Kloe Kardashian as my fan as she has also been posting my dialogues on her social media.

People in Europe are now naming their cats, "Pooja", so basically I have become a household name all over the world. I am truly humbled and overwhelmed with all this love!”, exults the social media star.

Not many know that Pooja also is a proprietor of her own production house. She has made a humorous and sexy web series called "Lovesutra" that was aired on Middle Eastern giants Etisalat's network as well as on Singapore's favorite telecom company Singtel.

In fact, Pooja had anchored and produced a lifestyle magazine called, "Abhi to party shuru hui hai" for which she had shot all over Delhi NCR, Jaipur and Bangkok.

The show had aired on the satellite channel E 24 Bollywood News. I asked her what her experience was like, shooting in Delhi and whether in this Covid era she plans to go digital with that show?

"I love Delhi, from the delectable North Indian cuisine to the warm hearted people. I had a blast shooting in Delhi NCR although anchoring and producing in parallel was a back breaking job, but I am a passionate and diligent person and hence I could easily pull it off.

In this era of Covid when everyone's restricted to their homes everything has gone digital at a lightning speed as people are sitting at home scrolling their social media or are glued to OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Or Don Cinema.

So, "Abhi to party shuru hui hai" which I kept hidden and did not even release on youTube , is going to go digital in a big way when it soon airs on a leading OTT platform very soon."

What are the future projects that will be churned out from your in-house production? I enquire.

"As soon as the Covid situation turns better, we plan to shoot a music video for the track, 'Hotter than you' and also roll with the reality show, 'Spare me the crab mentality'.”

I should concede that Pooja sure is multi faceted, and besides speaking well she also phrases her thoughts into words precisely and beautifully, and also writes very well.

Besides being a contracted blogger for Times of India and writing for magazines like Perfect Woman and My pencil dot com, Pooja has also authored four books.

I egg her on to give us the details. "Well, Yes! I have written four books as I find writing therapeutic.

The first book I wrote is my autobiography, basically my journey so far which has been nothing less than a rollercoaster ride.

It's called, "What's in a name? Everything! You were not born to be a mediocre “and I plan to adapt it into a biopic movie.

Pooja continues. “The second and third books that I have written are called, "Yes! You can be a reality show star! “ and "Jee haan aap bhi ek reality show star ban sakte hai" in English and Hindi respectively.

I wrote this book as whenever I go to events people come and ask me tips and tricks as to how to enter reality television, well the good news is this book encapsulates just that.

The fourth book that I have written is called, "Hotter than you" which is a book that talks about and explains my singlehood. "

Of late we have noticed that your interest in the F&B Industry has piqued. You have been blogging a lot about food, as well as undertaken the role of a food influencer.

How did that happen and what all does it entail? Pooja takes a breather and exults. “My brother Manu is in the food industry and so is my sister Priya who has been a senior producer in Food Network and Asian Food Channel in Singapore.

So it was an impromptu transition. Besides during the lockdown it was all about eat food, sleep, repeat, so I further zoned in on food.

I am really enjoying my journey as a food influencer as it involves discovering and exploring new cuisines, chefs, recipes, restaurants and I adore the sheer joie de vivre of it all.

“What I relish the most is the fact that I get to be vocal for local and get to promote upcoming innovative start ups one day and work with established brands the other, thereby covering the whole spectrum.

Besides the people in the food industry are very congenial and scrupulous. In fact I love it so much that I plan to write a book related to food.

My sister up in Singapore is a Master Chef, so folks don't be surprised if we open a quaint eatery in the near future.