Pooja Batra
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
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| Born | 27 October 1974 [1] Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Actress, model |
| Height | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
| 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 (2002–2011 divorced) |
Pooja Batra (born 27 October 1974) in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, is an Indian actress and model. She was crowned Femina Miss India International in 1993..
Contents
Early life and background
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Being a Sindhi actress, Pooja Batra was born to Ravi Batra, an army colonel who was wounded in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. Her mother, Neelam Batra was a former Miss India participant in 1971. She did her schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya Number-1 Faridabad, Kendriya Vidyalaya ONGC Agartala No. 2 at Tripura, Kendriya Vidyalaya (Army) Belgaum where she enjoyed sports, debates and plays. She was a good athlete who competed in the 200 and 400-meter dash.
She majored in Economics at the Fergusson College, Pune. She has two brothers, who are twins. She was Miss Asia Pacific (3rd runners up) in 1993, and at that time she was 18 years old.
Career
Early career
At a young age, she started modelling as a part-time job. She was best known for her Liril soap commercial. 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.[2] 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. She is an ambassador for Parag Sarees. She has played the lead role in over 20 films. One of her films, Taj Mahal, a historical epic, was shown at the Cannes film festival in 2004. Pooja turned down many offers to complete her education before signing a contract with the Virasat Film Studio. She is the life member of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy of Film & Television, Noida. In 1995 she did a cameo in a Tamil film called Aasai. She is from Mhow, near Indore M.P.
Later career
The first film she signed was Virasat in 1997. She worked in over 22 films including Haseena Maan Jayegi, Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya and Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye.
Batra has worked in 3 Malayalam films. She did two Tamil films. She acted in theatre and toured North America, which got her considerable acclaim. She recently 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.[3] In January 2011, she filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.[4]
Philanthropy
Batra has volunteered time and money to charitable causes including AIDS (Mukti Foundation), 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.
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 |
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Aasai | Guest appearance | Tamil |
| Sisindri | Telugu | ||
| 1997 | Vishwavidhaata | Poonam | Hindi |
| Virasat | Anita | Hindi | |
| Bhai | Pooja | Hindi | |
| Chandralekha | Lekha | Malayalam | |
| 1998 | Sham Ghansham | Roopa | Hindi |
| Saazish | Hindi | ||
| 1999 | Megham | Col. Thampuran's wife, 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 | Parwana's associate | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story | Noor Jahan | Hindi |
| 2011 | Hum Tum Shabana | Cameo Appearance | Hindi |
| 2015 | ABCD 2 | Cameo Appearance | Hindi |
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]. |
- EngvarB from August 2014
- Use dmy dates from August 2014
- Commons category link from Wikidata
- 1973 births
- Living people
- Indian actresses
- Femina Miss India winners
- Actresses in Malayalam cinema
- People from Faizabad
- Indian emigrants to the United States
- Actresses from Los Angeles, California
- Actresses in Tamil cinema
- People from Mumbai
- Kendriya Vidyalaya alumni
- University of Pune alumni
