Pooja Hegde (/puːdʒɑː hɛɡdeɪ/ born 13 October 1990) is an Indian actress who appears in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil films.

She had her first Telugu release in Oka Laila Kosam (2014) followed by her first Hindi film in the poorly received Mohenjo Daro (2016).

She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Oka Laila Kosam, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo and Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava (2018).

[23] After noticing still photographs of her pageant win,[24] Mysskin offered Hegde her debut in his Tamil superhero film Mugamoodi (2012) opposite Jiiva.

[27] 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.

[30] Expanding to Telugu cinema in 2014, Hegde starred opposite Naga Chaitanya in the romantic comedy Oka Laila Kosam.

[31][32] The success of the production house Annapurna Studios and director Vijay Konda's previous ventures prompted her to sign the project.

[50] In 2017, she starred in Harish Shankar's Telugu action comedy DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham, opposite Allu Arjun.

[56] She next starred opposite Bellamkonda Sreenivas in the fantasy action Saakshyam, portraying the role of a middle-class Brahmin girl who was a spiritual leader.

[57][58] Murali Krishna C H from Cinema Express found that she "gets more screen time in this film compared to her last outing DJ and she does a good job".

[62][63] She played the role of Aravinda, who significantly influenced Veera Raghava Reddy, the protagonist portrayed by N. T. Rama Rao Jr., to challenge the deep-rooted enmity and seek a path of non-violence and self-discovery.

[66][67] Hemanth Kumar CR of Firstpost noted that "Hegde makes a good impression with her role, and for a change, she becomes an intrinsic part of the narrative".

[79] In 2020, she reunited with both Arjun and Trivikram in Telugu action drama film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, in which she portrayed the role of a travel company head Amulya, a self-made businesswoman.

[80] Murali Krishna C H of The New Indian Express wrote that "she plays her part effortlessly and strikes up palpable chemistry with Allu Arjun.

"[81] Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India noted that "Hegde manages to bring in spunk into a character that is nothing more than a manic pixie dream girl, but she sure is a delight to watch on-screen".

[86][87][88] In 2021, Hegde starred in Most Eligible Bachelor, directed by Bommarillu Bhaskar opposite Akhil Akkineni, in which she played the role of a stand-up comedian.

[92] Srivathsan Nadadhur from OTTPlay and Ram Venkat Srikar from Cinema Express lauded her well-written role and her performance, which does justice to that writing, highlighting a notable achievement in Hegde's career.

[93][94] She began 2022 by playing the leading lady opposite Prabhas in the multilingual period romance film Radhe Shyam, directed by Radha Krishna Kumar.

[95] 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.

[101] Radhe Shyam broke Tollywood's record for the highest opening-day earnings, but was a financial failure, failing to recoup its ₹3 billion (US$35 million) budget.

[106] While Divya Nair of Rediff.com and Jose K George of The Week wrote that Hegde looks pretty and does a decent job,[107][108] Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute opined that she is gorgeous in "Arabic Kuthu".

[112] 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".

Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India, wrote, "Pooja Hegde has a meaty role, which she pulls off confidently, but could have dialed down over-the-top filmy antics.

"[118] Additionally, Avinash Lohana from Pinkvilla opined that "Hegde really shines in her role of Bhagya, which has the right mix of quirks, entertainment, humour, charm and emotions.

[124] She will next star in the romantic action film Retro, directed by Karthik Subbaraj and reunite with Vijay in Jana Nayagan in their second collaboration after Beast.