ELLE Digital Cover Star: Pooja Hegde - Pushing The Boundary

Alan Walker's Alone Pt. II blares from the speakers at one end of the studio. At the other end, ELLE’s newest Digital Cover Star, Pooja Hegde, finds herself swaying to the beats of the song as she strikes a pose in a black net sari against the glistening backdrop. I observed (in awe) from the sidelines how she effortlessly experimented with different styles, pulling out all stops with poses that added more than just an oomph to create the perfect cover. I managed to catch up with her during a quick break about her work, life and everything in between. 

“How are you feeling today?” I asked. “I'm feeling good and excited! I've been travelling a lot and doing different roles, so it feels great to be home and back to some glam," she says. I wonder if days get overwhelming for her—a pan-Indian actor straddling three distinct film industries and showing up for hundred-odd other demands that come with being a celebrity. “Honestly, it can be a little crazy because you're dealing with three different managers speaking in different languages. So, I have to plan days to do nothing, which for me means being in my pyjamas and staring at the ceiling. Literally,” she laughs. “But I don’t get overwhelmed. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, I just try to finish the day and breathe through it,” she says.

+She’s self-admittedly a hustler and constantly tries to push her boundaries—"I had no option, right? I didn’t have a host of films to choose from or someone to guide me. I’m just grateful that I get to do what I love, and I want to make the best out of every day.” I wonder where I can get her superpowers from. “I get it from my mother,” she says, smiling, almost reading my mind. “She's always told me that sometimes if you don't believe in yourself, you have to believe in the faith somebody has in you. But more than that, she’s just a doer. My mom’s unwavering dedication was my inspiration. She’d wake up early, pack our tiffins, go to work managing 60 employees, and still make sure she was there for us at the end of the day. That, to me, was true empowerment. And sometimes, I look back and think, ‘I don’t know if I could ever do that’” she says.

I look at her with bewilderment, attempting to reassure her that she does, every single day. Hegde was the second runner-up at the 2010 Miss Universe India beauty pageant, and her acting debut came in the Tamil film Mugamoodi in 2012. She has since continued to work in the Tamil film industry and forayed into the Telugu and Hindi film industries too. “The Tamil industry gave me my first film, Telugu gave me my voice and shaped me as an actor, and that foundation empowered me to make choices in the Hindi film industry," she says. “I was always a lost child. So, my journey has been about finding myself. When I play certain roles, I find myself saying, ‘Oh, this is not me,’ which often leads to the question: what is me? It’s through the characters I've played that I’ve been able to find my voice and parts of who I am—and I want to do more,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. 

“What has been your latest effort at pushing the boundary then?” I ask, intrigued by her process of coming into her own. She lets me in on her upcoming Tamil romantic-action movie ‘Retro’ and says, “It’s a completely different me. We shot it like an Indie film, and it was such a collaborative process.” She recalls shooting on Viper Island in the Andamans, where sanitation was scarce and viper snakes slithered nearby. “Honestly, it wasn’t the best of circumstances, but we had the most amazing time ever. Moreover, we did this one-shot 15-minute sequence, which has dance, action, and a scene and I remember doubting whether I would be able to do it—but I just tried and pushed myself and we did it,” she says, “I think that sequence reinstated my faith in the magic of cinema. I loved it.”

After working in the industry for over a decade now, cinema continues to shape her identity and sense of self. “When I began my career, I just didn’t know how to say no,” says Hegde. “I would agree to do things even if it made me a little uncomfortable, and I would be afraid to voice my opinion.” Today, she takes on a bolder, more proactive stance in setting her own boundaries and choosing characters that accurately present women. “I don’t want to do work for the sake of it. There have been so many times where I’ve been given a scene and I’ve just felt like, this is not how girls are! It’s important to give feedback so that we can create something more meaningful,” she opines. “We need to have more films where women feel represented or inspired. Growing up, if I had seen a thin, tall, shy kid represented in cinema, I would feel like there's more like me out there,” says Hegde.

The music continues to play faintly in the background. The light bulbs on the mirror add a warm glow to that freezing changing room. For a fleeting moment, however, she takes me back to her childhood. Growing up in Mumbai city, she ate, breathed and lived films. “I was obsessed. I loved the cinema. But I never watched a film believing that I could be an actor,” she reveals. “It wasn’t even something I dreamt of because I just didn’t think it was an opportunity.” Yet, here she is, 12 years later, nearly 30 films strong. Hegde is living her purpose, and truth be told, she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

I wonder what keeps her going. And in what is, perhaps, the most fitting note to end our conversation, she says, “This is who I am. I’m a fighter, and I will do everything it takes to excel in my work. I feel like cinema has the power to save lives in so many ways. You can be going through a really bad day, and watching an inspiring film could completely change your outlook. I want to keep doing more and being a part of stories that matter. In the process, if I can inspire even one person through my films—I’d be very, very happy.” 

ELLE India Editor: Ainee Nizami Ahmedi; Photographer: Sanjay Tomar; Jr. Fashion Editor: Shaeroy Chinoy; Creative Production: Office Hours by Aangi Nahta; Bookings Coordinator: Anushka Patil; HMUA: Marianna Mukuchyan; Words by: Maahi Shah; Assisted by: Tejashree Raul, Drushti Kadam  (styling); Production: Cutloose Productions; Artist Reputation Management: Communiqué Film PR 

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