‘Lucknow is my home in India’: Pooja Kumar

Pooja Kumar (L) at the Hazrat Mahal Park and (above) with her nani (seated in a sari) and her cousins in Lucknow during her Diwali visit (BCCL/ Vishnu Jaiswal)
Actor Pooja Kumar, of 'Vishwaroopam' fame, was in Lucknow recently to meet her nani and her cousins. The actor, who’s also done a couple of Hollywood films, has been a regular to the city and unwinds here with her nani and cousins whenever she can.And while Pooja is rarely in the city during festivals, this time she happened to be here for Diwali, which she says was an unforgettable experience. "This is my second trip to Lucknow in less than a month. I was here for Diwali too and I had a total blast at my nani’s house. In fact, this time my dad had also come to Lucknow and he celebrated Diwali after almost 30 years," shares the US-born actor, adding, "My dad was actually behaving like the youngest kid in the family when we celebrated Diwali. It was so much fun watching him shoot off all the rockets and all the sparklers excitedly. The rest of us were screaming in fear but he was just so enthused about it! He, like a typical Indian kid on Diwali, was like, 'Tum logon ko kuchh nahi pata hai patake jalane mein kitna mazaa aata hai.' And for my brother, this was the first time that he celebrated Diwali. He is 35 years old and he has never celebrated Diwali because in the US there's no concept of Diwali and he's never before visited India during the festival. I keep coming to India so I know what the festival is about but for him, it was a totally new experience. Although I don't like crackers, I love the food part. I let everyone else do the patakas and I eat all the lip-smacking delicacies like aalo-poori and kaddoo and yummy sweets."
Talking about Lucknow, Pooja says, "This is my home in India. This is where I come to relax and unwind after I wind up my film shooting. As a child, I used to come to India every year with my mom who belonged to Lucknow. My dad is from Dehradun and I would visit either of the places every year when we came to India from the US. But Lucknow holds a special place in my heart. I have my cousins here and my nani who pamper me every bit. Here I can do what I want and my brothers and nani spoil me when I am here."
Riding high on the success of her last Telugu film 'PSV Garuda Vega' which released in November, Pooja is quite happy with regional cinema making it big not only in India but even abroad. "I am so happy that the film’s shows in the USA are going houseful and they had to add new shows of it. So even though it is a regional movie, the concept has a national and international approach," says Pooja.
But we wonder if Pooja would like to do play typical South Indian character? "I would love to play a typical South Indian character of a funny woman who starts dancing from nowhere. I have done something close in the movie 'Uthama Villain' in which I was doing a movie within a movie. But if you see, South Indian writers are known for writing compelling stories whether serious of funny films. And now writers there are coming up with concepts which can be shown to the Western audience. Also, not all South Indian movies being are over the top," she adds.
While Pooja is a popular name down South, ask her if she is looking for name and fame in Bollywood and she says, "I have never craved for fame. A true artist wants to be a part of the cinema which can make a difference in society. And I want that for myself. As of now I just want to keep working. When you do good work, whether in Tollywood or Bollywood, it will last longer and that’s what matters to me. I am very selective about my films. Even today when I see Vyjayanthimala’s movie Madhumati I am completely in awe of her. At such a young age she was able to capture those beautiful emotions. I want people to remember me like that for my work. Filmmakers in Bollywood do approach me but I haven’t fallen in love with anything yet."
Pooja is not only looking for a career in acting, she has also written a few scripts which she plans to convert to films soon. "I have co-written two short films which will be going into production in the next three months. The movies will feature Indian and American actors and will be shot in India and the US both and I’ll be acting in them as well as producing them. Direction will happen when I am old and fat (laughs). As a director you have to see the whole canvas and as of now, I don't have that experience. It will take me another 10 years to get into that zone," she says.