Stunning and youthful, former Miss India Pooja Batra took Bollywood by storm in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Batra, who lives and works in Los Angeles, is an actor-entrepreneur running her own production house while doing meaningful acting projects. Having done regional cinema in India, including some super-hit south Indian films in the past such as "Chandralekha” in Malyalam, doing a film in another language is not new for this versatile actor. Her latest movie, "Killer Punjabi,” is her first Punjabi film.

The trailer for the action-packed drama was released recently, and Batra is seen sharing the screen with the Indo-Canadian lead man Kailey Rav and the ‘Bad Man’ of Bollywood Gulshan Grover. The trailer gives a good glimpse of the various shades of Batra’s acting skills: She’s seen romancing, dancing and kickboxing in this fast-paced hitman’s love story, shot extensively in LA, Las Vegas and Canada.

Batra is super excited about this project.

On doing a regional film, she says, "I have done Telugu, Malyalam and Tamil films in the past. This is my first Punjabi movie. I have a knack for languages, and living in Ludhiana (Punjab) with extended family when I was young really helped me bring that pure accent out for the film.”  

Looking forward to two Hollywood releases later this year, including "One Under the Sun" in which she plays an astronaut, Batra will be seen playing a psychiatrist in "Mirror Game."

"Killer Punjabi” releases worldwide April 29.

Watch the "Killer Punjabi" trailer:

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Back in 1997, Pooja Batra made a splash in Bollywood with Virasaat, but after a mixed bag of films, got married in 2002 and settled in the United States. After a dozen years, she popped up in a cameo in ABCD2 (2015). Now she has bagged a biggie — the lead role in the Hollywood sci-fi film One Under the Sun. She plays an astronaut and is cast opposite Gene Farber.

How did you bag the lead role in a Hollywood film?

Ever since I moved to America, I have been trying to land a good role; but it’s very difficult here. For this film, I went for the audition and I performed three scenes — one with my on-screen husband who tries to convince me to go to the mission, the second, in which I am in the shuttle and talking to command, and the last in which I am reunited with my daughter. They liked my acting and fortunately I got selected.

Tell us about your role in this film.

I play Kathryn, who is one of the five astronauts selected to go to Mars. She is also the sole survivor of the space shuttle moment, a distraught mother who is waiting to reunite with her terminally ill, cancer-afflicted daughter.

Sounds like an emotionally challenging role.

Yes, there is a situation when my daughter is dying but they don’t allow me to see her...it was so emotional, I imagined myself in her place and it was like being in a pressure cooker. There was another challenging scene — when I come back to earth and people are interrogating me.

Considering you have done a dozen odd Hindi films, what was it like to shoot a Hollywood movie?

There is hardly any difference besides the language. I have worked here with many actors and I looked forward to the shooting. I applied no makeup; I was in a room which made me sweat because of the heat.

Did you do any research for the role?

I have looked up to astronauts since my childhood. You don’t get such inspiring and strong roles in India. There is no revenge angle here like in Bollywood movies; she is a power woman. I am lucky to get it.

Which was the last Bollywood movie you loved?

Bajirao Mastani (2015). Everyone was amazing in the movie.

How did the break from work affect you?

After I left India, sadly, the number of  roles offered to me diminished. Moving to a different country does affect your career. I did a cameo in ABCD 2 recently.

Any other projects you look forward to?

I will come to India for the release of Punjabi film Killer Punjabi which I co-produced. In Mirror Games, I play a psychiatrist.

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Pooja Batra has joined the growing list of Indian actors landing their big break in Hollywood and the actress says she is happy to see the acceptance of Bollywood actors in the west.

  Indian actors Irrfan, Priyanka Chopra and Nimrat Kaur have made a mark in mainstream Hollywood projects recently.

Pooja, 42, who will play the lead in Hollywood sci-fi “One Under The Sun” directed by Vincent Tran and Riyaana Hartley, said the audience is also opening up to Indian actors.

“Indian actors did not get work before but in the last four or five years, things have changed. Even the audition feature requirements for Indian actors. A lot of Indian actors are booking shows in Hollywood like ‘Quantico’ and ‘Homeland’, and the audience is accepting that,” Pooja told PTI.

The “Virasat” actress, who is settled in Los Angeles for over 10 years now, is excited about her Hollywood debut in which she essays the role of an astronaut.

She is the lone survivor of a failed space expedition and when she returns back on earth to reunite with her terminally ill daughter, she is treated as a fugitive.
And in order to prepare for the role, Pooja has taken cues from Indian astronauts Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams in terms of looks and body language.

“It is a very proud moment for me to play a lead in my first Hollywood film. The role was originally written for an African-American actress but when the makers saw my audition, they changed the script and took me on board.

“It is a great role. In order to prepare for it I needed a character sketch. So, for my physical appearance I took hints from Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. I copied their hair, got it cut short and coloured it black,” she said.

The actress said the film will be screened at Cannes Film Festival besides Comic Con events.
Pooja, a former Miss India, bid adieu to Bollywood in 2003 to marry LA-based orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Sonu Ahluwalia but is now divorced.

The actress, who recently made a guest appearance in “ABCD 2”, however, said she is still in touch with all her Indian producers and hopes to star in a Hindi film soon.

“I am in a lookout for interesting projects but nothing has materialised yet. I am playing a Canadian-Indian politician in a Hindi film but it is not a mainstream movie like my previous Bollywood films.”

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The 73rd Golden Globe Awards event held recently was full of glitz and glamour, an occasion when the stars came down to earth, dressed in their fashionable best. Among the best dressed Hollywood celebrities at the event, the gorgeous India born actress-cum-entrepreneur Pooja Batra was a head-turner in a red gown by Sonia Ete, styled by Jeffery Paul and jewelry by Sanjay Kas

The actress-entrepreneur, who's rumoured to be doing a big Hollywood movie, attended the coveted award ceremony and interacted with several Hollywood actors and designers including Maggie Gyllanhaal and Tobias Menzies, Queen Latifah, Jamie Alexander, Issac, Lavern Cox, Shalini Kasliwal and Brittny Gastineau, Giorgio Grandi, Peter Fecinelli, Joanne Froggatt, Viola Davis and her husband.

Pooja, who has acted in several successful Bollywood movies, shifted her base to Los Angeles and started her own production company GlowBellInc. Her company helps in collaborating productions between Hollywood and Bollywood.

In 2009, GlowBellInc brought Hollywood superstars Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards to Bollywood in the Akshay Kumar-Kareena Kapoor starrer Kambakkht Ishq and rapper Bohemia in Chandni Chowk to China.

Pooja is also a producing partner of the prestigious US radio station Mera Sangeet-LA.

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The 73rd Golden Globe Awards held recently was full of glitz and glamour, an occasion when the stars came down to earth, dressed in their fashionable best.

Among the best dressed Hollywood celebrities at the event, the gorgeous Indian actress-entrepreneur Pooja Batra was a head turner in a red gown by Sonia Ete, styled by Jeffery Paul and jewelry by Sanjay Kasliwal. The actress-entrepreneur, who’s rumoured to be doing a big Hollywood movie, attended the coveted award ceremony and interacted with several Hollywood actors and designers including Maggie Gyllanhaal and Tobias Menzies, Queen Latifah, Jamie Alexander, Issac, Lavern Cox, Shalini Kasliwal and Brittny Gastineau, Giorgio Grandi, Peter Fecinelli, Joanne Froggatt, Viola Davis and her husband.

Pooja, who has acted in several successful Bollywood movies, shifted her base to Los Angeles and started her own production company GlowBellInc. Her company helps collaborate productions between Hollywood and Bollywood. In 2009, GlowBellInc brought Hollywood superstars Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards to Bollywood in the Akshay Kumar-Kareena Kapoor starrer Kambakkht Ishq and rapper Bohemia in Chandni Chowk to China. Pooja is also a producing partner of the prestigious radio station Mera Sangeet-LA, the no 1 Hindi radio station in the USA.

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Indian actress Pooja Batra went all out for her Emmys outfit and rocked up to the after party in a head-turning white gown.

The beautiful star, who was crowned Femina Miss India International in 1993, was dressed to the nines and decided to go commando in the unusual dress.

It featured a wide collar, feather detailing on the shoulders, sheer panels and a long feather train. It's all a bit much really, isn't it?

She joined celebs at the HBO after party at The Plaza at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, California and flashed her pearly whites for the cameras as well as her flesh.
Pooja, 41, is definitely in our worst dressed list this year and looked as though she'd been rummaging through a fancy dress box.
She completed her look with a HUGE red and bronze pendant necklace and matching ring. Pooja, who wore her brunette hair back and plastered on plenty of slap, opted for a pair of strappy sandals and carried a matching white clutch bag. She joined stars at the party including Scandal's Kerry Washington, who looked incredible in a silver gown with a thigh split. TV host and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi also upstaged her, opting for an eye-catching citrine satin dress. Now THAT is how you do a red carpet.