Pooja Hegde has gained recognition as an actress in Indian cinema, particularly in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil films. She was born on October 13, 1993, into a Tulu-speaking Bunt family to Manjunath Hegde and Latha Hegde. She has an elder brother named Rishabh Hegde, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Pooja was born in Odipu (Udupi) and was later brought up in Mumbai.
Education
Pooja completed her schooling at Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School in Mumbai. Subsequently, she pursued a degree in M.Com from M.M.K College, also located in Mumbai.
Career
Modeling
Pooja Hegde competed in the Miss India 2009 competition, but unfortunately, she was eliminated in an early round. However, she then reapplied for the same competition in the following year and bagged the second runner-up. With that, she was crowned as a second runner-up in Miss India 2010.
Film
Pooja Hegde made her acting debut in the 2012 Tamil film “Mugamoodi,” directed by Mysskin. Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for Best Tamil Female Debut Actress at the prestigious 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA). Her second film, Oka Laila Kosam, earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 62nd Filmfare Awards. Pooja Hegde made her Bollywood debut in August 2016 with the film ‘Mohenjo Daro’ opposite Hrithik Roshan, marking her entry into the Hindi film industry. Some of her popular films are Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), Housefull 4 (2019), Rangasthalam 1985 (2018), and Cirkus (2022).
Pooja’s latest film was Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan with Salman Khan.
Awards
Pooja Hegde has received several awards for her outstanding work in the entertainment industry, including SIIMA awards, Filmfare award, Zee Cine Award, and many more. Forbes India ranked her 7th on the Most Influential Stars on Instagram in South Cinema 2021 list.
Pooja Hegde often visits her ancestral place and is often seen speaking Tulu on social media. An old video of her speaking Tulu with her Ajji (Grandmother) went viral and won the hearts of Tuluvas. She also gave an interview in Tulu to Cinema Galli. Recently, during her visit to her ancestral place, she was seen speaking Tulu in a video shared on her Instagram.