Early Life & Rise to Fame
Pooja Batra is a former Miss India, Actress, Supermodel, Media Personality, Business woman and a Philanthropist.
Pooja has cultivated a catalogue of endeavors over the past 20 years that’s far beyond her runway beginnings. She was born in India to an army officer and his wife Ravi and Neelam Batra. She shot to nationwide fame and acclaim by winning Miss India in 1993. She then became the face and brand spokeswoman for brands like Head and Shoulder, Liril, Parag Saree, Nokia Phones, Lean Pockets, and GMC Acadia.
The 5’10 stunner has walked the runway for Indian and European designers in over 250 fashion shows in India and abroad. She graduated from Ferguson College (Pune) with a degree in Economics and received her MBA from Symbiosis (Pune).
Acting Career
In 1997, she had her first big screen role when she co-starred with Anil Kapoor and Tabu in Virasat. She was nominated for the Filmfare Awards as the most promising New Comer. She won the Sansui Awards for the best supporting actress for her role in Virasat.
Bollywood movie moguls soon recognized Pooja’s popularity and she fast became a critically acclaimed actress and Box Office Magnet. Haseena Maan Jayegi, Bhai, Chandralekha, Megham, and Kahin Pyar Na Ho Jaye are a few of the blockbuster hits she has acted in. In the 2006 Sansui Screen Awards, she was nominated for best actress for her portrayal of Noorjehan in the movie Taj Mahal – An Eternal Love Story.
To date, she has starred in over 30 films. Her movie ABCD2, a Disney India movie, was the highest grosser of 2015 in India. Her movie One Under the Sun, in which she plays an Astronaut Kathryn Voss, was premiered in Cannes 2016. Pooja got nominated for best actress in 2016 for her role in Mirror Game at the Newark International Film Festival. The movie Mirror Game is garnering phenomenal acclaim in film festivals all around the world.
Producer & Entrepreneur
Her success in the film industry has led her to start her own production company called GlowBell Inc., which helps collaborate productions between Hollywood and Bollywood. In 2009, GlowBell Inc. brought A-list actors such as Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards to Bollywood in Kambaqth Ishq, rapper Bohemia in a Warner Brother – India movie Chandini Chowk To China, and Nicole Kidman as a brand ambassador for Four Leaf Luxury housing in London (2016–2017).
In 2010, GlowBell Inc. helped launch LA Casting and Model Wire in India. The company also did the Oscar Campaigns for the movie Jal in 2014. Pooja Batra is a producing partner of the prestigious radio station MeraSangeet-LA, the No. 1 Hindi radio station in the USA.
Beyond the Screen
Pooja is an environmentalist, animal lover and a strong believer in empowering women all over the world. She lends her time to numerous charities. She maintains homes in Los Angeles and Mumbai.