Friends call me female Akshay Kumar: Pooja Chopra

Right after Pooja Chopra won the Miss India title in 2009, she had hit headlines because of the riveting story of her live and how her mother brought her up. Her mother had walked out of her marriage to Pooja being a victim of female infanticide.  And that she won the pageant after all the hardship had got lot of people talking. Pooja’s life recently was featured in the acclaimed documentary, ‘The World Before Her’ – a film which showcases the struggle for women’s empowerment in India.

Already an inspiration to many, Pooja hopes that this documentary makes more people aware. “I am not getting anything out of this. All I hope is that it makes some difference. So that there is another Pooja Chopra someday who comes to me and says that her mother took a step like my mother after watching the film. That would be great!” explains Pooja taking about the documentary made by Canadian director Nisha Pahuja. The documentary has already won hearts and awards all over and finally hit the Indian screens, courtesy Anurag Kashyap.  “It takes guts bring out something from your personal space into open for everyone to see. But I did not see any harm. My mother went through these tribulations and today she is proud and happy. This is not my story, it’s hers. And I am sure it will inspire a lot of people,” adds Pooja who had debuted as an actress in last year’s sleeper hit Commando.

‘The World Before Her’ tracks the stories of two girls, the first being Pooja. The other is about a dynamic Durga Vahini youth leader, Prachi. “They are two different worlds. When I saw the documentary and saw their lives I got a chill. Her character is in a different context. It is violent and ours is to prove ourselves in a man’s world,” says Pooja. The director Nisha had first met Pooja while she was shooting the behind the scenes events of Miss India pageant and decided to make a documentary when Pooja spoke about how her mother saved her life. “The documentary has already touched a lot of people. People like Shimit Amin and Anurag Kashyap are promoting it. I also get mails and reactions on twitter. It feels good,” she adds.

The World Before Her documentary released in India on June 6. Interestingly she has more reasons to cheer as now producer Vipul Shah should soon announcer her next film. “They were waiting for Holiday to release before making an announcement about my next film. As of now I can’t talk about it. But it is going to be interesting film,” informs Pooja, who has a three-film deal with Vipul Shah’s production house. The film is titled Roop Nagar Ke Cheeteh and will be directed by Vihaan Suryavanshi. And this time around Pooja says she will get to do things that she likes doing – run around trees, dance and be dolled up in makeup. She will be playing a Delhi girl and it is a film about friendship. “Life after Commando has been a mix response. I got a lot of films where people wanted me to do things I was not ready for yet. As of now I want to play my age and have fun,” she admits. Among other films, she admits she was also offered to co-star with Sunny Leone in her next film Tina and Lolo but she decided not to do it.

Pooja admits that she does not quite think or behave like the regular film personality. For one she hates partying. “Some friends call me Female Akshay Kumar. I sleep at 10pm and wake up early. I don’t drink or smoke. Some call me behenji and tell me I am a misfit in the industry. But all that’s because of mom’s upbringing,” reveals the actress who had decided never to go for nine to five job early in her life. “When you are born to stand out, why try to blend in!” she concludes.

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