Miss USA India is Kamal's new heroine

Candid Chat

Kamal Haasan’s upcoming directorial venture Vishwaroopam has already made a buzz in the film fraternity for being one-of-its kind in several aspects.

Be its screening on TV ahead of a theatrical release or being the first ever Indian movie to be converted to Aura 3D format in terms of sound technology, the movie is also in the limelight because of an American actress of Indian origin, Pooja Kumar, cast opposite Kamal Haasan. 

The former Miss USA-India, Pooja is a known face in the US film industry after her performances in Flavors directed by Krishna D K and Raj Nidimoru, for which she received Screen Actors’ Guild Emerging Actor Award in 2003.

Though Pooja is only 10 films old which include a Tamil and a Malayalam one, the actress is excited about her role in Vishwaroopam which is likely to impact her career here.

“I was stunned when my manager told me Kamal Haasan was interested in casting me. My first reply was a ‘yes’. My manager is an American who was surprised to see my level of excitement. He asked him the reason for not hearing the script and confirming the movie directly,” says Pooja, who told her manager that, you don’t have to read a script when Kamal Haasan is directing and acting in the movie.

“I was in New York when Kamal spoke to me over Skype. He just told me that his team would get in touch with me and that he would see me in Chennai,” shares the actress. Another reason why Pooja agreed to the film was the role itself.

“In almost all his movies roles for the women are fantastic and which remain in memory for long. In Vishwaroopam, I am playing Nirupama, an oncologist married to Vishwanath, a dance teacher.”

Sharing her experience of working with the cinema veteran, Pooja says, “As an artist I had an incredible experience sharing the screen with the renowned actor.  He showed a seamless transition from director to actor during shooting. It seemed as if it was very easy for him to perform both tasks together. I admired him and this forced me to put forth my best.”

Having worked in many English movies like Hiding Divya, Night of Henna, Park Sharks, Man on a Ledge to name a few, Vishwaroopam was like an international project for the 35-year-old actress. “I have always worked outside India so doing this movie was like an international project. More so, it was being shot in two languages Tamil and Hindi which makes it a big project in itself.”

So, was language a barrier for her? “Yes, it was difficult for me,” replies the actress. “The movie was shot in both Hindi and Tamil.  When I told Kamal sir that Tamil is not my cup of tea he simply said you will be able to do it. Hindi was no trouble but I had to work on my accent.”