Pooja Gauthami Umashankar, mononymously known as Pooja, is an Indian-Sri Lankan actress, who has primarily appeared in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

, Sinhala and

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

language films.

Early and personal life

Pooja's mother, Sandhya, is a Sri Lankan Sinhalese and her father, H. R. Umashankar, is an Indian

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Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

from

Sringeri Sringeri (IAST: Śṛngēri) also called Shringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the site of the first maṭha ( Dakshinamnaya Sringeri Sharada Peetham) establis ...

, in the

Chikmagalur Chikmagalur, known officially as Chikkamagaluru, is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri peak of the Western Ghats, the city attracts tourists from ...

district of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

. Umashankar was at

Valparai Valparai (originally known as Poonachimalai) is a Taluk and hill station in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. It consists of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP) and ...

, working with Hindustan Unilever Limited, as a manager. Pooja can speak

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

, Sinhala,

, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. After she did her pre-schooling in Sri Lanka, she came to India and went to Poornapragnya in Aldur, Chikmagalur and then to Nirmala Convent in Mysuru. Later she continued her education at Baldwin's Girls High school in Bengaluru and did graduation (B.Com.) and Post Graduation (MBA) at

Mount Carmel College, Bangalore Mount Carmel College (MCC) is an autonomous college located in Bangalore, India, affiliated to Bengaluru City University. It is one of the first women’s colleges established in 1944 in Trichur as 'Carmel College' under the Madras University ...

.
In December 2016, she married Prashan David Vethakan, who is a Sri Lankan businessman.

Career

Pooja was introduced by a friend of her to cinematographer-turned-director Jeeva, who signed her for the role of Anglo-Indian girl in his Tamil venture ''

Ullam Ketkumae ''Ullam Ketkumae...'' () is a 2005 Tamil-language romantic drama film directed and co-written by Jeeva, with dialogues by Sujatha. The film stars Shaam, Arya, Laila, Asin and Pooja as five college students. The film's score and soundtrack ...

''. Pooja said that at that time she planned to finish that film and return to her original job and did not take an acting career into consideration. She stated: "I said to myself I'd act in just this film, see what it's like, make good use of the money and get back to studying". She was soon offered a role opposite

R. Madhavan Ranganathan Madhavan (born 1 June 1970) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who predominantly appears in Tamil and Hindi films. Madhavan has won four Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. Madhavan ...

, which she could not decline and made her rethink her decision. ''Ullam Ketkumaes massive delay meant that her second film, the romantic comedy ''

Jay Jay ''Jay Jay'' is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romance film written and directed by Saran. The film stars R. Madhavan, Amogha and Pooja, while Kalabhavan Mani, Charle, Dhamu and Malavika Avinash also play key supporting roles. Produced by V. ...

'' (2004), directed by Saran, became her first official release. Pooja received favorable reviews for her performance in ''Jay Jay''; G. Ulaganathan from ''

Deccan Herald ''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Print ...

'' wrote: "Spirited, lively, Pooja's sparkling eyes and smile do leave an impression". She next played the romantic interest of

Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil films. To date, he has starred in over 60 films. His awards include four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Tami ...

in another Saran film, ''

Attahasam ''Attahasam'' () () is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language action masala film written and directed by Saran featuring Ajith Kumar in dual lead roles. Pooja, Sujatha, Karunas and Ramesh Khanna play pivotal roles in the film, while the score and soundt ...

'', which, in spite of mixed critical response, went on to become a financial success. Pooja, too, met with criticism, with critics citing that she had "only limited role" and was "wasted ..in an insignificant and half-baked role". Pooja's subsequent release happened to be ''Ullam Ketkumae'' that featured her in one of the five leading roles alongside Shaam, Laila, Arya and

Asin Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She ...

. The film fetched positive remarks and emerged as a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little prom ...

. She went to appear in commercial Tamil films such as '' Thambi'' and ''

Pori ) , website www.pori.fi Pori (; sv, Björneborg ) is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, west of Tampere, north of Turku and north- ...

''. In 2007, Pooja also appeared in a Malayalam film, ''Panthaya Kozhi'', before landing the lead female role in

Bala Bala may refer to: Places India * Bala, India, a village in Allahabad, India * Bala, Ahor, a village in the Jalore district of Rajasthan * Bala, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India Romania * Bala, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedin� ...

's '' Naan Kadavul''. Her portrayal of Hamshavalli, a blind beggar, was critically appreciated and earned her several accolades, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil and Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female Character Artiste. Following ''Naan Kadavul'', Pooja went on a sabbatical, appeared just in

cameo role A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

s in ''

TN-07 AL 4777 ''TN-07 AL 4777'' is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language thriller drama film directed by A. Lakshmikanthan. The film stars Simran, Pasupathy, Ajmal Ameer, and Meenakshi. The film's soundtrack, composed by Vijay Antony was released on 12 December 2008. ...

'', '' Drohi'' and the Telugu film '' Orange''. Her big budget film ''Kusa Pabha'' released in early 2012 and became the highest grosser ever in the history of Sri Lankan film industry. Critics praised Pooja for her role of Pabawathi.

Television

She was one of the judges in the reality dance show ''Aatam Paatam Kondatam'' Kalaignar TV, Sun TV.

Filmography

Television

Awards

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Umashankar, Pooja Living people Sinhalese actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Indian film actresses Actresses in Malayalam cinema Sri Lankan film actresses Actresses from Karnataka Filmfare Awards South winners Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Sri Lankan people of Indian descent Actresses in Tamil cinema 21st-century Sri Lankan actresses Sri Lankan actresses Kannada actresses People from Chikkamagaluru district Actresses in Telugu cinema Year of birth missing (living people)