Indian-American actress Pooja Kumar is slowly turning into the action queen of the South Indian film industry. But the actress, who lives in the US and is playing Kamal Haasan’s wife in Vishwaroop 2, tells The Woods that she is keen to work in Hindi films too. Excerpts from a candid chat… 

The Woods: How is Kamal Haasan as an actor? 

Pooja: He is meticulous, he gives you the space to act. If he sees you are working and are passionate, he responds to that. But if you are just going to relax, he is not going to have any respect for you.

You are working with another stalwart, Shekhar Kapur...

I was on the set with Kamal Haasan and Shekhar Kapur, and the kind of stories I was listening to I can’t even tell you. The stuff I have learnt from them! Both have written strong female characters and Shekhar’s films have always been women-oriented be it Bandit Queen or Mr India. 

Why have you stayed away from Hindi cinema?

It hasn’t clicked. Offers have come but I haven’t been able to do anything; maybe because I don’t live in India. 

I keep coming to India to shoot for South Indian films and that too happened because Kamal Sir saw my work in New York. He saw my English films and contacted my American manager. So my manager called me and said, ‘Do you know this South Indian guy? His name is Kamal Haasan.’ I asked him to repeat the name. I coordinated and got on a Skype call with Sir. I told him I was a big fan; I mentioned Ek Duje Ke Liye. He asked me if I had seen the film. I said yes and told him: ‘That was my first Hindi movie and I fell in love with you because how many men can dance and look like a man.’ I later realised I had said something wrong. But then five days later I got a call saying you have been booked on a ticket to Chennai.

Any Hindi filmmaker on your wish list?

I would love to work with filmmakers like Shoojit Sircar, Aanand L. Rai and Karan Johar. I don’t know how to send feelers to them.

The #MeToo movement took off in America but here women are still reluctant...

Here, to talk about the issue is difficult because you are talking about not having an income anymore; about offending men in powerful positions.