Pooja fans in for a royal treat! By IndiaFM News Bureau, November 8, 2005 - 01:55 IST Naysayers kept whining, 'models can't act!', amidst this model Pooja Batra went ahead and did Priyadarshan's Virasat. The cynics had to run for cover because not only was the film a huge hit, it gave the long legged Pooja a strong foothold in Mumbai's dream factory.
But Friday is the name of the game and after a bright start, things suddenly turned sour. Poor scripts, weak banners, reasons are many but all that's yesterday. The gorgeous actor has put all that behind and is ready to knock you with a stellar role as Noorjahan in Akbar Khan's magnum opus, Tajmahal.
"I have slogged for this character," quips the Punjaban. "Reams of research has gone into the making of Noorjahan" she asserts. So did she herself do the spadework or it was spoon fed, we chide. "Moi, I read up a lot on characters set in the Mughal era. I even watched 'Cleopatra' a couple of times, so as to get a hang of the royalty" Batra explains.
As if unsatisfied, we prod her further; 'What else?' To which she replies, "I tried to get a grasp of the historical literature to better understand the nuances of the characters. Noorjahan was a ravishing empress, she is also learnt to be scheming. She is an intriguing personality so I wanted to be cautious while developing her character" she elaborates. Is it true that she even took Urdu lessons for the same? "That's right, I wanted t tweak my Urdu. It had to be flawless. Besides, Akbar also arranged for sessions with eminent historians. All this helped me a great deal" the star informs us.
The effort seems honest, and the on air promos promise us dollops of grandeur. So have the compliments started flowing in yet? Akbar tells us, "I always knew that the kid had it in her to pull off the role. But ask those who have seen the rushes, they can't stop raving about her!"
Looks like good days are back again, huh!
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Anoli
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