Age, Biography, and Wiki
Pooja Hegde, born on October 13, 1990, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, is a prominent Indian actress known for her work in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi films. Her journey into the film industry began after she was the second runner-up at the 2010 Miss Universe India beauty pageant. Hegde made her acting debut in the Tamil film Mugamoodi in 2012 and gained recognition with her first Telugu release Oka Laila Kosam in 2014. She has established herself as one of South India's highest-paid actresses and has won four SIIMA Awards.
| Occupation | Actress |
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| Date of Birth | 13 October 1990 |
| Age | 34 Years |
| Birth Place | Bombay, Maharashtra, India |
| Horoscope | Libra |
| Country | India |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Pooja Hegde's height and weight are not widely available, she is known for her slender and athletic build, which often garners attention in the media.
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Dating & Relationship Status
There is no publicly confirmed information about Pooja Hegde's current dating or relationship status. She often keeps her personal life private, focusing more on her career and philanthropic endeavors.
Her father, Manjunath Hegde, is a criminal lawyer and her mother, Latha Hegde, is a Immunologist and entrepreneur. They are originally from Udupi, Karnataka. Her elder brother Rishabh Hegde, is an orthopaedic surgeon. Besides Tulu, she is fluent in English, Hindi, Marathi and Kannada. She later learnt Telugu following a career in her respective cinema. She considers Bengaluru as her home town, and maintains strong connections there. She did her schooling in Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School, Mumbai. She went to M. M. K. College, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. She has trained in classical dance and music, including Bharatanatyam.
A representative from Miss India met Hegde at one of her college events and suggested that she participate in the pageant. Hegde competed in the Miss India 2009 competition, but was eliminated in an early round despite winning the Miss India Talented 2009 honour. She re-applied the following year and was the second runner-up in the Miss Universe India 2010 competition. She rejected offers of several projects from big production banners over three years before debuting in Mugamoodi. She accepted the project by her mother's suggestion.
After noticing still photographs of her pageant win, Mysskin offered Hegde her debut in his Tamil superhero film Mugamoodi (2012) opposite Jiiva. She portrayed Shakthi, a fun-loving girl who inspires the male lead to change his outlook on society. Hegde practised Tamil dialogues for the film by writing and memorising words in English, adding similarities between Tamil and her mother tongue Tulu. Prior to its release, the film garnered high expectations due to its novel theme of a superhero in Tamil cinema, and had a strong opening at the box office in August 2012. She earned nominations for the SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut – Tamil and Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South.
In 2016, Hegde made her Hindi film film debut as the female lead opposite Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker's period film Mohenjo Daro, set against the backdrop of the Indus Valley Civilisation. She was selected after Gowariker's wife, Sunita Gowariker, spotted her in an advertisement and called her for an audition. Lisa Tsering of The Hollywood Reporter dismissed her performance as "forgettable blandness". In 2017, she starred in Harish Shankar's Telugu action comedy DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham, opposite Allu Arjun. Hegde described her role as an outgoing and modern girl, unlike her previous roles in Telugu films, which she considered traditional. Manoj Kumar R from The Indian Express wrote that "Hegde has convincingly done the given job that is to look stunning in every frame of the film". DJ opened to commercial success grossing over inr 1500000000 emerging one of the highest-grossing Telugu film.
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Net Worth
Pooja Hegde's net worth is not explicitly stated in the available sources, but as one of the highest-paid actresses in South India, her income is substantial, coming from successful film projects and endorsement deals.
She began 2022 by playing the lead opposite Prabhas in the multilingual period romance film Radhe Shyam, directed by Radha Krishna Kumar. Set in 1970s Europe, the film is a love saga of two individuals with different approaches to life: Vikramaditya (Prabhas), who follows fate and destiny, falls for Dr. Prerana (Hegde), who deeply believes in the power of science. It is one of the most expensive Indian films produced. Monika Rawal Kukreja praised her performance and noted that "she performs the emotional sequences with a lot of maturity and conviction". The film broke record for the highest opening-day earnings, but was a financial failure, failing to recoup its inr 3000000000 budget. Hegde next starred alongside Vijay in Tamil action comedy Beast, directed by Nelson. Produced by Sun Pictures, the film marked her return to Tamil cinema after a gap of 9 years. Jose K George of The Week wrote that she looks pretty and does a decent job. Hegde's #ArabicKuthuChallenge went viral on social media, and many recreated her signature step. Despite mixed reviews, the film broke several box office record and was a commercial success. In the same year, she took on a brief role in the Telugu-language action drama film Acharya, starring Chiranjeevi and Charan. She performed her second dance number in the film, F3: Fun and Frustration alongside Venkatesh and Tej in the party song "Life Ante Itta Vundaala". In her final release of 2022, Hegde played one of the female leads opposite Ranveer Singh in Rohit Shetty's poorly received Hindi period comedy drama film Cirkus, an adaptation of the William Shakespeare's play The Comedy of Errors. The film was a commercial failure.
Social Network
Pooja Hegde is highly active on social media platforms, particularly Instagram, where she has over 28 million followers (@hegdepooja). She frequently updates her fans with personal and professional insights into her life.
Hegde is considered among the most popular actors of Telugu cinema. She stood at the 7th place on Forbes India's Most Influential Stars on Instagram in South Cinema for the year 2021. Hegde is also one of the highest-paid South Indian actress. As of August 2024, she is one of the most-followed actors on Instagram in Tollywood.
Education
Hegde completed her education at M.M.K. College, where she earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Hegde established herself with leading roles in several successful films, including the romantic comedy DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham (2017), romantic action Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava, action drama Maharshi (2019), action comedy Gaddalakonda Ganesh (2019), fantasy comedy Housefull 4 (2019), and action comedy Beast (2022). She earned further acclaim for her performances as a self-made businesswoman in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) and a stand-up comedian in Most Eligible Bachelor (2021), winning two SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu. Following a brief hiatus, she achieved commercial success with Karthik Subbaraj's romance Retro (2025).
She has frequently featured in Times' Most Desirable Woman list. She was the Hyderabad Times' Most Desirable Woman of 2017. In the same list, she stood 5th in 2019 and 3rd in 2020. Hegde was one of the most searched actresses on Google, for several times. She also became one of the most searched Asian on Google in 2022. She is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products. Hegde has represented many brands, including Citra, pTron, Garnier, IGP and Maaza; she was the first brand ambassador of Bhima Jewellers. In February 2022, she performed at Expo 2020 in Dubai for the "Da-Bangg Tour", alongside Salman Khan. She served as a judge at Miss World 2023. She also supports various causes through her foundation "All About Love", which works towards providing support to unprivileged children across the country in the areas of education and health.
Additional Insights
Pooja Hegde supports various charities through her foundation, All About Love, and is a prominent celebrity endorser for several brands. Her versatility in acting has led to successful roles in films like Mohenjo Daro, DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham, Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, and Beast. Despite taking a brief hiatus, she has continued to achieve commercial success with recent projects like Retro in 2025.
