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India: 'Helped' producer Sajid Nadiadwala approach Sylvester Stallone
When Sajid Nadiadwala announced that he had signed Hollywood actors Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards for Kambakht Ishq, he forgot to mention that it was actress Pooja Batra who helped him snag the stars.
Pooja, who is married to a doctor and is settled in Los Angeles, is elated that she was able to help Sajid with her Hollywood connections. "Since I knew both Sly (Stallone) and Denise personally, Sajid approached me to help him out with the initial formalities. I felt so good that my Hollywood contacts could be of optimum use to the Hindi film industry," enthuses Batra.
Pooja convinced Denise to star opposite her ex, Akshay Kumar. She even bumped into him on the sets, "We met cordially, I was needed to be on the set when Sly and Denise were shooting with Akki and Bebo," insists Batra.
Climbing higher
Pooja is currently in the city after a daring Mount Everest mountaineering expedition upto the base camp (19000 feet) with her (orthopaedic surgeon) husband Sonu Ahluwalia. It was an out-of-this-world experience. We filmed the entire thing. The expedition actually helped me test my endurance limits," gushes the actress who is a member of the prestigious Los Angeles-based SAG (Screen Actors Guild) She admits she is open to an acting break in Hollywood, "Why wouldn't I? But I am not in a rush to grab just anything that comes my way. And then there are certain protocol norms one needs to comply with, in order to fit the bill. But I keep busy shooting commercials in LA for leading consumer brands," shrugs the actress.
O Farah, where art thou?
Pooja will return to LA by the end of this month. "I only hope I get to catch up with Farah Khan before I leave. It was Farah who first introduced me to Nagarjuna with whom I cavorted to a racy song in a Telugu film. That's where Priyan ( Priyadarshan) saw me and I got my big break in Viraasat," she recalls fondly. Most actors suffer bouts of amnesia, when acknowledging crucial support during their struggling phase. Deepika, are you listening?
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