Pooja Hegde plays a doctor in Radhe Shyam. (Photo: hegdepooja/Twitter)Actor Pooja Hegde has worked with some of the biggest stars in the country, but each of her three 2022 films–Radhe Shyam starring Prabhas, Acharya starring Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan, and Beast starring Vijay– disappointed at the box office. What made this worse was that they’re three of the biggest South Indian flops at a time when the South Indian film industries are being seen as the dominant force at the nationwide box office.
In an interview with Film Companion at the sidelines of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, which she’s attending as a national delegate, Pooja spoke about the disappointing box office performance of these films, and said that if nothing else, her performances wer appreciated in each of these three movies. She highlighted the success of the “Arabic Kuthu” song from Beast, and said that it was so warmly received.
Asked how she powers through such failures, she said, “It’s part of the game. I had six back-to-back blockbuster films, and I’m so grateful for that, because that’s so rare, to have six films in a row that have done phenomenally well. Every film has its destiny. If I start taking my blockbuster hits seriously, then I’m to have to take the ones that don’t do so well, which will come, eventually. They’re bound to happen. Then I’m going to have to take them seriously.”
She continued, “Do I doubt my instinct? No. Not at all. Because I know what I did in each film. I did Radhe Shyam because it was a meaty role, a film where I would have had to perform. I hope filmmakers across the world take notice, ‘Okay, she was good in the film, maybe with a good director… Maybe we could use her in this way…’ I don’t know, but I hope that happens. I knew I was getting an opportunity to play such an interesting role, in a commercial film.”
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Speaking about Acharya and Beast, she said, “Acharya was of course a guest appearance. It was a cameo, I loved my role. I played a village girl. It was a de-glam look, with two chotis and oil in my hair, and that was exciting. She was naughty, she was fun, and people loved my part in the film. I got a lot from it. Beast also, Arabic Kuthu happened. It was so much fun shooting the film, Nelson is such a good director, I loved Doctor, and he has a great voice. I would love to work with him again. Arabic Kuthu gave me so much… At the end of the day, we’re entertainers, I like bringing a smile on people’s face.”
Next up, Pooja will be seen making her return to Hindi films with Rohit Shetty’s Cirkus, starring Ranveer Singh, and the Salman Khan-starrer Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali, which recently began filming. Pooja made her Bollywood debut with Mohenjo Daro, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and starring Hrithik Roshan, but that film bombed.
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