Biography
Who is Pooja Chopra?
Early life and background
Pooja Chopra was born in Kolkata, West Bengal. Her mother, Neera, raised Pooja and her older sister, Shubhra, as a single parent after leaving their marital home. Pooja attended Mount Carmel Convent High School and later graduated from Ness Wadia College, both located in Pune, Maharashtra. She currently resides in Pune.
During her childhood, Pooja faced significant family challenges. She has spoken publicly about being abandoned by her father at birth because he desired a son. Her mother refused to leave her at an orphanage, choosing instead to relocate the family to Mumbai to work and provide for both daughters independently.
Beauty pageant career
In 2009, she began her path in the pageant world by winning the Femina Miss India East title in Kolkata. This victory secured her a place among the top ten finalists for the national competition. On April 5, 2009, she was crowned Pantaloons Femina Miss India World. She also earned several sub-titles, including Miss Perfect 10, Miss Catwalk, Miss Beautiful Smile, and Talwarkars Best Body.
Representing India at the Miss World 2009 pageant, Pooja competed despite injuring her ankle shortly before the final event. Although doctors recommended three weeks of bed rest, she continued to participate. She finished as a top 16 finalist out of 120 contestants. She became the first Indian representative to win the Beauty with a Purpose title at the competition, which included a ten thousand dollar prize for her charitable work in the Nanhi Kali project.
Acting and film projects
Pooja Chopra made her acting debut in the 2011 Tamil film Ponnar Shankar, where she played Princess Muthaayi. Prior to her lead roles in Bollywood, she appeared in minor parts in Madhur Bhandarkar films such as Fashion and Heroine. She achieved a breakthrough with her role in the action movie Commando, starring opposite Vidyut Jammwal.
Her filmography includes diverse projects ranging from dramatic short films to feature-length action movies. She starred in Neeraj Pandey's short film Ouch. Later works include Jahaan Chaar Yaar and Jeevan Beema Yojna. In 2020, she appeared in the Kingfisher Calendar. She has also delivered a TED Talk at the Krupanidhi Institution of Engineering in Bangalore regarding her life path.
Philanthropy and endorsements
Throughout her career, she has been involved in several charitable initiatives. Alongside Akshay Kumar, she helped launch the Happy Heart India campaign to support underprivileged children with cardiac needs. She also participated in the BMC campaign titled Ek Chammach Kam to raise awareness about non-communicable diseases. Also, she donated a portion of her earnings from the film Aiyaary to the families of martyred soldiers following the 2019 Pulwama attack.
As a public figure, she has endorsed various brands including Tata Docomo, Bajaj Allianz, and Richfeel. Her contributions to acting were recognized with the Times Most Powerful Woman Award. She is also frequently featured in the Times list of the 50 most beautiful faces of India.
Birthday and age
Pooja Chopra was born on May 3, 1985, which makes Pooja 41 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Pooja shares the date with 21 other famous people.
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