Pooja Batra

Pooja Batra
Beauty pageant titleholder
Born (1976-10-27) 27 October 1976[1]
Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India[2]
Occupation Actress, model
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]
Title(s) Femina Miss India International 1993
Major
competition(s)		 Femina Miss India
(Miss India 3)
(Miss India International)
Miss International 1993
(Semi-finalist)
Spouse Dr. Sonu S. Ahluwalia (m. 2002; div. 2011)

Pooja Batra (born 27 October 1976) in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, is an Indian actress and model. She was crowned Femina Miss India International in 1993.

Early life and background

Batra was born to Ravi Batra, an army colonel[4] and Neelam Batra, a former Miss India participant in 1971.[5] She lived in Ludhiana with her extended family while she was young.[6] While in school, she was an athlete and competed in the 200 and 400-meter dash.[5]

She graduated in Economics[7] from Fergusson College, Pune[3][5] and holds an MBA in marketing[7] from Symbiosis, Pune.[3] She has two brothers.[7] She became the third runners up at the Miss Asia Pacific in 1993, when she was 18 years old.[8]

Career

At a young age, she started modelling as a part-time job. She was best known for her Liril soap commercial.[9] She was the first Indian face to launch and be a spokesperson for Head and Shoulders in India. As a model she has participated in over 250 events and ad campaigns. She shot to fame when she was crowned Miss India Asia-Pacific in 1993.[10] She went on to become one of the top models in India. She walked the ramp for over 250 fashion shows in India and overseas.[3] She is an ambassador for Parag Sarees.[11]

Batra turned down many offers to complete her education before signing a contract with the Virasat Film Studio. The first film she signed was Virasat in 1997.[12] She went on to work in over 20 films including Haseena Maan Jayegi, Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya and Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye. One of her films, Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story, a historical epic, was shown at the Cannes film festival in 2004.[13] She is the life member of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy of Film & Television, Noida.

Batra has also appeared in South Indian films including three Malayalam films[14] and two Tamil films, including a cameo in the 1995 film Aasai.

Batra has acted in theater and toured North America, which got her considerable acclaim. She appeared at the 2009 Academy Awards in Los Angeles, where she reunited with her Virasat costar, Anil Kapoor.

Personal life

Batra was married to orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Sonu S. Ahluwalia, in Los Angeles, California between 2002 and 2010.[2] In January 2011, she filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.[15]

Philanthropy

Batra has volunteered time and money to charitable causes including AIDS (Mukti Foundation),[16] homeless children, the Bombay Police Department and injured soldiers in the Kashmir war.

She did pro bono work in the film, My Little Devil (Bas Yari Rakho) subtitled in Hindi, English and French to raise funds for the poor children in India. The film was co-produced by NFDC-La Fete (Canada) and directed by Gopi Desai. The film was screened at the 24th Annual Montreal World Film Festival, 2000; Chicago International Children's Film Festival, 2000; 10th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival of World Cinema, 2001 and the Indian Film Festival in Malaysia, 2005.

Filmography

Year Film Role Language
1995 Aasai Guest appearance Tamil
Sisindri Pooja Telugu
1997 Vishwavidhaata Poonam Hindi
Virasat Anita Hindi
Bhai Pooja Hindi
Chandralekha Lekha Malayalam
1998 Sham Ghansham Roopa Hindi
Saazish Rachel Hindi
Greeku Veerudu Telugu
1999 Megham Swati Malayalam
Oruvan Kalpana Tamil
Haseena Maan Jaayegi Pooja Verma Hindi
2000 Bas Yaari Rakho Pratibha Hindi
Daivathinte Makan Sonia Malayalam
Kandukondain Kandukondain Nandhini Varma Tamil
Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye Mona Hindi
2001 Ittefaq Roshni Hiranandani Hindi
Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya Sonia Chopra Hindi
Farz Seductress Hindi
Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi Savitri Hindi
Jodi No.1 Casino dancer Hindi
Nayak: The Real Hero Laila Hindi
2003 Talaash: The Hunt Begins Kamini Hindi
Parwana Hindi
2005 Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story Noor Jahan Hindi
2011 Hum Tum Shabana Hindi
2015 ABCD 2 Hindi
2016 Killer Punjabi Punjabi[17]

Awards and nominations

List of acting awards and nominations
Year Film Award Category Result
1998 Virasat Filmfare Award Best Female Debut Nominated
1998 Virasat Filmfare Award Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
1998 Virasat Screen Awards Best Supporting Actress Won
1998 Virasat Zee Cine Awards Best Female Debut Nominated
1998 Virasat Zee Cine Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female Nominated
2006 Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story Screen Awards Best Actress Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "Pooja Batra". Flixter. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  2. 1 2 "A Healthy Mantra – Pooja Batra". 10 January 2009. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Biography". Poojabatra.com. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Tiwari, Nimisha (13 August 2009). "What's Pooja Batra doing in Mumbai!". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "'I'm not his ex, Akshay Kumar is my ex'". Rediff. 25 June 1997. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Vashisht-Kumar, Divya (7 March 2016). "Pooja Batra Makes Heads Turn in Action Thriller 'Killer Punjabi': Watch Trailer". India-West. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 ""To those interested in entering the entertainment world: believe in yourself, have the chops, and be ready to work hard."—Pooja Batra" (PDF). Roshni Media Group. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Miss Indias who made it to Bollywood". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "40 Years Ago and now: The Liril Girl showed how to target a state of mind". Rediff. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Pooja Batra – 2000-1991! – Miss India Winners 2009-1964 – Archives – Femina Miss India". Indiatimes. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  11. ↑ Srinivasan, V S (18 March 1997). "Beguiling babe". Rediff. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "Good show". India Today. 31 May 1997. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  13. ↑ Ruhani, Faheem (9 September 2005). "Mughal premiere for 'Taj Mahal' in London". DNA. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  14. ↑ Gupta, Rakhee (18 January 2001). "Pooja Batra: Back to Bollywood". The Tribune. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "Pooja Batra wants out". Mid-Day. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  16. ↑ Verma, Sukanya (15 December 2000). "Mukti foundation AIDS concert". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  17. ↑ "Pooja Batra makes debut in Punjabi films". The Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
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