27 Facts About Pooja Hegde

Pooja Hegde is an Indian actress who appears in Telugu, Hindi and few Tamil films.

Pooja Hegde made her acting debut with the Tamil film Mugamoodi and had her first Telugu release in Oka Laila Kosam.

Pooja Hegde stood in the 7th place on Forbes India's Most Influential Stars on Instagram in South Cinema for the year 2021.

Pooja Hegde is the founder of the "All About Love", a non-profit organisation that helps people in need of medical or financial support in India.

Pooja Hegde was born on 13 October 1990 and brought up in Mumbai, Maharashtra in a Tulu-speaking family.

Pooja Hegde has an elder brother Rishabh Hegde, who is an orthopaedic surgeon.

Pooja Hegde later learnt Telugu following a career in her respective cinema.

Pooja Hegde did her schooling in Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School, Mumbai.

Pooja Hegde competed in the Miss India 2009 competition, but was eliminated in an early round despite winning the Miss India Talented 2009 honour.

Pooja Hegde re-applied the following year and was the second runner-up in the Miss Universe India 2010 competition.

Pooja Hegde made her acting debut in Mysskin's Tamil superhero film Mugamoodi opposite Jiiva, portraying the female lead character of Shakthi, a fun-loving girl who inspires the male lead to change his outlook on society.

Pooja Hegde was selected after Mysskin had seen still photographs from her pageant success, and Hegde helped practice Tamil dialogue for the film by writing and memorising words in English, adding that the similarity between Tamil and her native tongue Tulu was useful.

Pooja Hegde was praised for her performance in the movie.

Pooja Hegde undertook Telugu lessons to help her portray the leading female role.

In July 2014, Pooja Hegde agreed terms to make her Bollywood debut opposite Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker's period film Mohenjo Daro, set against the backdrop of the Indus Valley civilisation.

Pooja Hegde was selected after Gowariker's wife had spotted her in an advertisement and called her to audition, which she successfully completed.

Haricharan Pudipeddi of News18 opined that "Pooja Hegde gets a meaty part and she deserves praise" for it.

In 2021, Pooja Hegde starred in Most Eligible Bachelor, directed by Bommarillu Bhaskar opposite Akhil Akkineni in which she played the role of a stand-up comedian.

In 2022, Pooja Hegde starred in the multilingual period romance film Radhe Shyam with Prabhas directed by Radha Krishna Kumar.

Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute opined "Pooja Hegde is gorgeous in 'Arabic Kuthu'".

Pooja Hegde performed her second dance number in the film, F3 alongside Venkatesh and Varun Tej in the party song "Life Ante Itta Vundaala".

Pooja Hegde is considered among the most popular actor of Telugu cinema.

Pooja Hegde stood at the 7th place on Forbes India's Most Influential Stars on Instagram in South Cinema for the year 2021.

The Indian Express stated "Whether she's donning traditional Indian attire or a contemporary Western outfit, Pooja Hegde always manages to make heads turn with her impeccable style and poise".

Pooja Hegde has frequently featured in Times' Most Desirable Woman list.

Pooja Hegde was the Hyderabad Times' Most Desirable Woman of 2017.

Pooja Hegde is an active endorser for several brands and products including Citra, pTron and Garnier.