Pooja Batra Shah (born 27 October 1975) is an Indian-American actress and model who primarily works in Hindi films. She won the runner-up title at the Femina Miss India contest in 1993 and was crowned Femina Miss India International 1993 and represented India at Miss International 1993.
Early life and background
Batra was born on 27 October 1975 to Ravi Batra, a colonel in the Indian Army, and Neelam Batra, a Miss India (1971) participant. She has two brothers. She is related to Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, a martyr decorated with India's highest military honour, the Param Vir Chakra.
Batra lived in Ludhiana with her extended family while she was young. While in school, she was an athlete and competed in the 200 and 400-meter dash. She graduated in Economics from Fergusson College, Pune and holds an MBA in marketing from Symbiosis, Pune. She participated at the Miss International beauty pageant in 1993.
Career
At a young age, she started modelling as a part-time job. She was best known for her Liril soap commercial. She was the first Indian face to launch and be a spokesperson for Head and Shoulders in India. She has participated in over 250 modeling events and ad campaigns. She shot to fame when she was crowned Miss India International in 1993. She went on to become one of the top models in India. She walked the ramp for over 250 fashion shows in India and overseas. She is an ambassador for Parag Sarees.
Batra turned down many offers to complete her education before signing a contract with the Virasat Film Studio. The first film she signed was Virasat in 1997 followed by another hit movie Bhai. She went on to work in over 20 films including Haseena Maan Jayegi, Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya and Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye. One of her films, Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story, a historical epic, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. She is a life member of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy of Film & Television, Noida.
Batra has also appeared in South Indian films, including three Malayalam films and two Tamil films, including a cameo in the 1995 film Aasai.
Batra has acted in theater and toured North America, which earned her considerable acclaim.
She appeared at the 2009 Academy Awards in Los Angeles, where she reunited with her Virasat costar, Anil Kapoor.
She is set to appear as Nandini Rajput in the upcoming movie Squad.
Personal life
Batra married orthopaedic surgeon Sonu S. Ahluwalia in 2002 and moved to Los Angeles, California. In January 2011, she filed for divorce in a US court, citing irreconcilable differences.
Batra revealed her relationship with actor Nawab Shah in June 2019. They got married on 4 July 2019 in Delhi according to Arya Samaj traditions.
Philanthropy
Batra has volunteered time and money to charitable causes including AIDS (Mukti Foundation), homeless children, the Bombay Police Department and injured soldiers in the Kashmir war.
She did pro bono work in the film My Little Devil (Bas Yari Rakho), subtitled in Hindi, English, and French, to raise funds for the poor children in India. The film was co-produced by NFDC-La Fete (Canada) and directed by Gopi Desai. It was screened at the 24th Annual Montreal World Film Festival, 2000; Chicago International Children's Film Festival, 2000; 10th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival of World Cinema, 2001; and the Indian Film Festival in Malaysia, 2005.