Pooja Kumar Bhatt (née Joshi), is an American actress of Indian descent who works in Tamil, Hindi, and English-language Indian films. After winning Miss India USA in 1995, she pursued a career as an actress and producer. She has appeared in a number of American films and shows, including Man on a Ledge, Brawl in Cell Block 99, Bollywood Hero, Flavors, Hiding Divya, Park Sharks, Bollywood Beats, Night of Henna, Anything for You, Drawing with Chalk, and Knots Urbane. Her Indian films include Vishwaroopam and Vishwaroopam 2 opposite actor Kamal Haasan, and Uttama Villain. These were shot simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil. She made her Telugu debut with PSV Garuda Vega, starring Rajasekhar.
Pooja Kumar | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Kumar in 2013 | |
| Born | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse |
Vishal Joshi (m. 1999) |
| Children | 1[2] |
Early life
editPooja Kumar Bhatt was born in St. Louis, Missouri.[3] Her parents, Ravinder and Nirupama Bhatt, immigrated from India in 1970.[4][5] She attended Washington University, where she graduated with degrees in political science and finance.[5] She is also trained in Indian classical dance. Kumar won Miss India USA in 1995.[5]
Career
editKumar first signed on to appear in director Keyaar's Tamil film Kadhal Rojave in 1997, but the film's production delays meant that it was only released in 2000 and her stint as an actress in the Tamil film industry went unnoticed.[6] She was earlier signed and then left out of the 1997 film V. I. P, while she had also signed to appear alongside Karthik in Chithra Lakshmanan's Chinna Raja, but was eventually dropped from the project.[7]
In 2003, she received the Screen Actors Guild Emerging Actress Award for Flavors. In 2008, she hosted a late-night live quiz show on Zee TV in India, known as Jaago Aur Jeeto. She appeared in the musical comedy miniseries Bollywood Hero on IFC in 2008. She starred opposite Saturday Night Live comedian Chris Kattan in the three-part series. In the late 2000s, she appeared in the Pakistani drama serial Ishq Junoon Deewangi on Hum TV. After a long gap, she reappeared onscreen in the film Vishwaroopam.
Personal life
editKumar is married to Vishal Joshi. They have a daughter, born in 2020.[8]
Selected filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Kadhal Rojavae | Pooja | Tamil | |
| 2003 | Magic Magic 3D | Deepti | Tamil | |
| 2003 | Flavors | Rachana | English | |
| 2005 | Night of Henna | Hava | English | |
| 2006 | Hiding Divya | Palini Shah | English | |
| 2009 | Bollywood Beats | Laxmi | English | |
| Knots Urbane | Rachna | English | ||
| Park Sharks | Pri | English | ||
| 2010 | Anything For You | Uma Krishnan | English | |
| Anjaana Anjaani | Peshto | Hindi | ||
| Drawing With Chalk | Jasmine | English | ||
| 2012 | Man on a Ledge | Nina | English | |
| 2013 | Vishwaroopam | Dr. Nirupama Viswanath | Tamil | |
| Vishwaroop | Hindi | |||
| 2015 | Uthama Villain | Parveen/ Karpagavalli | Tamil | |
| 2016 | Meen Kuzhambum Mann Paanaiyum | Mala | Tamil | |
| 2017 | PSV Garuda Vega | Swathi | Telugu | |
| Brawl in Cell Block 99 | Denise Pawther | English | ||
| 2018 | Vishwaroopam II | Dr. Nirupama Viswanath | Tamil | |
| Vishwaroop II | Hindi | |||
| 2020 | Forbidden Love | Anamika | Hindi |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Debbi Channor | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Chuck | Jinsana | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Never Have I Ever | Noor Qureshi | 1 episode |
References
edit- ^ "Pooja Kumar is now mom to a baby girl". The Times of India. January 2, 2021.
- ^ "Congratulations: Vishwaroopam Actress Pooja Kumar Blessed with a Baby Girl!".
- ^ "Pooja Kumar Goes From St. Louis to Bollywood". St. Louis. March 20, 2015.
- ^ Shohon, Habibur (December 28, 2022). "Everything You Want to Know About Pooja Kumar".
- ^ a b c "Miss India USA 1995 Pooja Kumar courts forbidden love in her ott outing". The Telegraph. November 3, 2020.
- ^ "1997-98 Kodambakkam babies Page". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "A-Z (Ii)". Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Pooja Kumar is now mom to a baby girl". The Times of India. January 2, 2021.
External links
edit
- Pooja Kumar at IMDb
- "Pooja Kumar the face of Bombay Dreams" Rediff – February 10, 2004
- Rohit, Parimal M. "Pooja Kumar – The New Heroine: Rising Star Ready for Primetime with 'Bollywood Hero'", Bollywood Buzzine July 2009