The towering beauty who stole Malayali hearts with her debut alongside Mohanlal in Chandralekha rose to fame almost overnight. Standing nearly six feet tall, Pooja Batra, the Bollywood actor with a striking presence, quickly became a familiar face in Kerala.
Pooja hails from a distinguished background. Her father served as a Colonel in the Indian Army, and her mother was once a contestant in the Miss India pageant. An accomplished athlete in her school years, she actively participated in 200m and 400m sprint events before going on to pursue an MBA.
Around the same time, she began dabbling in modelling and beauty contests. Her breakthrough came with a popular Liril soap advertisement, which made her a household name. She went on to become the runner-up in the Femina Miss India contest and later represented India at the Miss International pageant, cementing her status as one of the country’s top models.
Pooja made her acting debut in Tamil cinema with a cameo role in Aasai, followed by a lead role opposite Anil Kapoor in Virasat. She continued to appear in major Bollywood films alongside stars like Suniel Shetty, Mithun Chakraborty, Govinda, and Sanjay Dutt. Her foray into Malayalam cinema included lead roles opposite Mohanlal in Chandralekha, Mammootty in Megham, and Jayaram in Daivathinte Makan.
Just when her film career was flourishing, Pooja suddenly disappeared from the limelight. It was later revealed that she had married Dr Sonu S. Ahluwalia and moved to the United States. Despite receiving offers from Hollywood, she reportedly refrained from acting due to her husband's disapproval. The differences that arose from this eventually led to their divorce, nine years into the marriage.
Pooja made a return to Bollywood after the separation but didn’t land roles of the same calibre as during her earlier years. Her last known film appearance was in Squad in 2021.
In 2019, she married actor Nawab Shah. While she is no longer active in films, Pooja Batra continues to remain in touch with her fans through social media, engaging regularly with her followers and sharing glimpses of her life beyond the silver screen.
Published: 13 Apr 2025, 02:16 pm IST
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