The Miss India crown, a successful modelling career, and then, a huge splash in tinseltown with Virasat. Pooja Batra couldn’t have asked for a better start. But that was almost a decade ago. Now the lissome lass is back, reprising the role of Noorjehan, immortalised by Veena in the 1963 classic starring Pradeep Kumar and Bina Rai. In Akbar Khan’s Taj Mahal – An Eternal Love Story, she plays the woman who ruled Jahangir’s heart, and his kingdom, a character with several shades of grey. Why did she agree to do it? “First, I love story and secondly, whenever I read about Mughal Empire, the one character that intrigues me the most is Noorjehan. So I didn’t have to think twice before accepting this role,” answers Pooja. She adds that she found the role very interesting and believes it has given her a chance to prove herself. But does that mean more negative roles coming her way? “Noorjehan might have been very ambitious for her times,, but she did what every mother will do for her child. I guess that’s the reason why history didn’t record her in a negative light. I play the antagonist who provokes the protagonist to take action,” Pooja tries to explain. Regarding her future projects, Pooja said she is waiting for the right role. “There are a lot of offers but I’m looking at the right combination of the director and the role. Let that perfect combination come and I’ll do it.” Pooja would love to play Indira Gandhi, or any historical character, or happily scare the audiences with a murder mystery. She is also pleased with the way Bollywood is growing and coming out of its age-old mould. “I loved watching films like Yuva and Dhoom and am waiting for something exciting to come my way. Till that happens, I’ve lots of modelling assignments to keep me busy.”