Kunal Shenoy
Daijiworld Media Network - Entertainment

Mangalore, Jul 14: Pooja Hegde, a Mangalorean, is all set to make her debut in the Hindi film industry opposite superstar Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker’s directorial venture ‘Mohenjo Daro’.

With this, she joins the list of Mangaloreans in Bollywood, that includes illustrious names like Aishwarya Rai, Shilpa Shetty, Sunil Shetty, Deepika Padukone, director Rohit Shetty and many others.

Though Pooja was born and brought up in Mumbai, she hails from Mangalore. Pooja Hegde started her career as a model. She was crowned second runner-up in Miss Universe India 2010 and runner-up in Miss India South 2010 beauty pageant.

After a successful stint in modeling, Pooja decided to concentrate on acting. She debuted as lead actress in Kollywood industry with ‘Mugamoodi’ opposite Jiiva in 2012.She played the role of bubbly and fun loving girl who inspires her boyfriend to change. The movie was successful in box office. After a great debut in Kollywood, she set her eyes on Tollywood. She was signed opposite Naga Chaitanya for her debut Telugu film ‘Oka Laila Kosam’, which is scheduled to release this year.

Pooja is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She is a huge Rahul Dravid fan. The 5’9’’ tall model also made a name in the advertising world, starring in television ads like Fair and Lovely, Lays and Hero Maestro. She was praised for her chemistry with Ranbir Kapoor in Hero Maestro ad.

Pooja was spotted by Ashutosh Gowariker’s wife Sunita. She asked her husband to audition Pooja for the female lead of ‘Mohenja Daro’. Pooja impressed Ashutosh in the auditions and was signed as the female lead in the movie.

"I am extremely happy to have found Pooja Hegde. She is very natural as an actress and has an elegance and poise that will make the character attractive. Both these strengths with a degree of freshness adds the required spark to the Mohenjo Daro love story," says director Ashutosh Gowariker.

Here's hoping that Pooja Hegde makes a mark in the Hindi film industry and earns as much or more fame than her counterparts from Mangalore.