Overview
Pooja Hegde is an Indian actress and former beauty pageant contestant who works predominantly in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil cinema. She first came to public attention through national-level pageants in 2009 and 2010, and subsequently built a career as a leading actress in South Indian films during the 2010s and 2020s.
Key facts
| Full name | Pooja Hegde |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 October 1990, Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Family origin | Udupi district, Karnataka (Bunt community) |
| Education | Mithibai College, Mumbai (Bachelor of Arts) |
| Occupation | Actress, model |
| Languages of work | Telugu, Hindi, Tamil |
| Pageant titles | Miss Universe India 2010 (second runner-up); Miss India South 2009 |
| Film debut (Tamil) | Mugamoodi (2012) |
| Film debut (Telugu) | Oka Laila Kosam (2014) |
| Film debut (Hindi) | Mohenjo Daro (2016) |
Background
Pooja Hegde was born on 13 October 1990 in Mumbai to Manjunath and Latha Hegde, who hail from the Udupi region of coastal Karnataka. She has an elder brother, Rishabh Hegde. She grew up in Mumbai and pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at Mithibai College, Vile Parle. While in college she began modelling and entered the pageant circuit.
Pageantry
Hegde was crowned Miss India South in 2009. The following year she participated in the Femina Miss India 2010 contest and was placed second runner-up, earning the title of Miss Universe India 2010. As part of her pageant duties she represented India in international assignments before transitioning to films.
Film career
Early work (2012–2015)
Hegde made her acting debut with the Tamil superhero film Mugamoodi (2012), directed by Mysskin and starring Jiiva. Her Telugu debut came with Oka Laila Kosam (2014) opposite Naga Chaitanya, directed by Vijay Kumar Konda. She followed this with Mukunda (2014) co-starring Varun Tej.
Hindi debut and breakthrough (2016–2019)
Her Bollywood debut was Ashutosh Gowariker's period epic Mohenjo Daro (2016), in which she played Chaani opposite Hrithik Roshan. Returning to Telugu cinema, she achieved a major breakthrough with DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham (2017) opposite Allu Arjun, directed by Harish Shankar. She followed this with Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava (2018) opposite N. T. Rama Rao Jr., directed by Trivikram Srinivas, and Maharshi (2019) opposite Mahesh Babu, directed by Vamshi Paidipally — both of which were among the highest-grossing Telugu films of their respective years.
Established phase (2020 onwards)
Hegde appeared in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) opposite Allu Arjun, directed by Trivikram Srinivas, which became one of the largest Telugu commercial successes of its time. She made her return to Hindi cinema with Housefull 4 (2019) and later headlined Radhe Shyam (2022) opposite Prabhas, directed by Radha Krishna Kumar, and Cirkus (2022) directed by Rohit Shetty. She also starred in the Telugu film Acharya (2022) and made her Tamil return with Beast (2022) opposite Vijay, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar.
Subsequent work includes Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023) opposite Salman Khan and Retro (2025) opposite Suriya.
Other activities
Hegde has endorsed a range of consumer brands across categories including beauty, jewellery and fashion. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and has spoken in interviews about her dance training informing her on-screen choreography work.
Significance
Within Telugu cinema, Hegde is regarded as one of the leading female actors of the late 2010s and early 2020s, having paired with most of the industry's top male stars including Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Prabhas. Her career trajectory — from a national pageant winner to a pan-Indian leading actress working across Telugu, Tamil and Hindi industries — is often cited as an example of the increasing cross-industry mobility of performers in twenty-first century Indian cinema.