Actress Pooja Batra who had disappeared from Bollywood in the middle of a promising career is busy acting, hosting and participating in commercials in Los Angeles… but she misses India a lot. Her love for India led her to launch her radio show, Mera Sangeet. “I would love to work in Hindi films, provided I get some offers. In today’s jet age I think if any producer or director wants to take me in their films they can easily connect with me,” she says.
“I have not yet opted for any Hollywood movies. I am doing a lot of commercials. I also occasionally help Bollywood and Hollywood filmmakers with casting. However, I do not discover or cast new faces. I had helped Sajid Nadiadwala cast Sylvester Stallone in Kambakkht Ishq way back,” adds Pooja. Is she still in touch with Akshay Kumar? “Oh yes. I attend Diwali parties at his place whenever I am in India. I am invited by Akshay and Twinkle every year. When they are here for shooting, I go around with Twinkle Khana.”
Giving an insight into her radio show Mera Sangeet, Pooja says, “While here in California, visiting the West Coast, I realised that our desi folks relied only on stale cable programmes and they missed out on all the latest happening numbers of forthcoming films. Indians here crave for Bollywood numbers and I decided to launch a show on radio. I am going to expand the show soon. I will be taking personal interviews of Bollywood stars when they visit LA or when I meet them in India.”
She says she is keen to interview Salman and Shah Rukh Khan and her hero in Virasaat, Anil Kapoor. “I definitely would love to talk to Anil Kapoor whenever I am in India or he is here. However, I have not been able to talk to him about this. We are planning to launch our show sometime in the first half of 2015. I have done interviews with Prakash Jha, Gulshan Grover and Madhavan.”
She is also about to host a show for Indian television. “I will be hosting a spiritual show on Indian television soon.”
Pooja’s advice to aspiring and new entrants in Bollywood is simple: “Drink lots of water. I am trained in marshal arts and I exercise for almost one and a half hours daily, five days a week. But in general you need to be active to remain fit and healthy.”
