Pooja Batra

Some Lesser Known Facts About Pooja Batra

• Does Pooja Batra smoke?: Not Known

• Does Pooja Batra drink alcohol?: Yes

• Pooja was born in a family with an army background. In an interview, she revealed that as a child, she was a spoiled brat. Since her father was a colonel in the army, she had been to twelve different schools in twelve years. Her mother was one of the top five Miss India participants in the year 1971. Her mother’s participation in the beauty contest inspired Pooja to do the same.
  
  

• When she was in school, Batra was an athlete; she used to participate in the 200 and 400-meter sprints. She had represented her school at the national level in the 400 metres race.

• She started her modelling career at quite a young age. She used to work as a part-time model and fund her education. She got a break when she appeared in the television commercial for Liril soap.

• The year 1993 was an eventful one for the actress. Though she ended up as the third runner-up at Miss Asia Pacific, she was, eventually, given the title of “Miss India International.”

  

• Following the beauty pageant victory, Batra received many film offers. However, she declined all of them as she first wanted to complete her education.

• In the ’90s, she was one of the top models in the country. Till date, she has walked the ramp for over 300 fashion shows.

• In 1997, Pooja Batra made her Bollywood debut with the movie “Virasat.” Her next release was the film “Bhai.”
  
  

• Pooja Batra joined the film industry after completing her education. However, like many other beauty-pageant holders, she too failed to find the desired success in Bollywood. To add to her misery, it was quite difficult for the casting directors to select male leads opposite her because of her height.

• She has worked in nearly 20 Bollywood films.

• After marrying the Indo-American surgeon, Dr Sonu S. Ahluwalia, she relocated to California. During her stay there, she actively participated in the theatre and garnered some acclaim for her skills.

• Pooja is also a philanthropist. She is quite actively involved in various charitable organizations. She has often donated money to orphanages and institutes providing free education to underprivileged students.

• In 2004, her movie “Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story” was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
  

• In 2014, Pooja turned into an RJ in USA.

• The trailer of her debut Hollywood film, “One Under the Sun,” was played at the 2016 ‘Cannes Film Festival.’ In the movie, Batra is seen portraying an astronaut, who is the sole survivor of a disastrous space shuttle mission.
  

• Batra is a lifetime member of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy of Film & Television.

• In 2002, Pooja married American orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Sonu S. Ahluwalia. She left the industry and moved to Los Angeles, California after her marriage. However, in 2011, she filed a divorce citing irreconcilable differences.
  

• In July 2019, Pooja Batra tied the knot with Nawab Shah in a hush-hush ceremony in New Delhi after dating for five months.
  

• She was also a spokesperson for Head & Shoulders in India.

• Pooja Batra does yoga regularly.