I did not expect the response I got for my character in Crew: Pooja Bhamrrah

Work-life balance for actor Pooja Bhamrrah has been about shuffling between Bengaluru and Mumbai every other week, over the last eight years. While Pooja’s work is in Mumbai, she is married to Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Gurpreet Singh. The former model, who has been part of the web series Broken But Beautiful, shot to the limelight with her performance as an airline crew member in the Hindi film Crew that starred Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu and Kriti Sanon. Excerpts from a chat:
‘i Loved working with Tabu, Kareena and Kriti; their energy rubbed off on me’ “I did not really expect the response that I got for my character in Crew. When you are in the presence of three talented actors like these, you just want to see how they work, what processes they follow and basically have their energy rubbed off on you somehow. That was, for me, the highlight of being part of this film. But, post the release, people have said that having a scene with all of them, that includes the opportunity to showcase a proper performance, and then being able to stand out, may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I was thrilled with the feedback,” says Pooja who also adds that it is only after Crew that she has now begun to be considered for primary parts in various projects.
‘incidentally, acting was never part of the plan’“I consider myself to be an accidental actor. Growing up, I aspired to be a Miss India. When I first voiced my intent, my parents had shot me down. I completed my engineering in biotechnology, and around then, before I continued with academics, modelling happened to me. I took part in a beauty pageant that promised a good prize money and since money was the need of the hour for my family too back then, I took it up. I won that contest and took up modelling as a career. Incidentally, acting, too, was never part of my plan. When I started acting, I realised that this was what I wanted to do and therefore said goodbye to modelling. My parents have been most supportive, and post marriage, I am lucky to have a partner who is equally supportive,” she says.
‘I strongly believe in the idea of destiny’Today, for Pooja, life is about balancing work and personal life. “I feel people have realized that it is the script that really brings in success of any sort. Stars can only take a film to a certain point, beyond that, it is just the story that matters. As for me, there have been more auditions and talks and the rest of the year looks a lot more promising. I strongly believe in the idea of destiny. If you are not resistant, the universe will show you the way. You just have to be open enough to see it, identify and take that plunge. Call it a sense of maturity, but I also have realized that it is important to maintain a balance in life. My life was all about work, work and more work. But now I find that it is important to live a wholesome life – making time for family, and other things you want to do. As an actor too, the more you live your life wholly, the more you can add to what you can bring to the camera and on screen,” she explains.

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