Not all girls were friendly: Miss India World

Twenty three years old Pooja Chopra comes across as any other bubbly girl with dreams in her eyes except for the fact that she wears the dazzling Miss India World crown. This Pune beauty has had an exciting trip to where she is- winning many contests like Femina Miss India East, Miss Talented, Miss Beautiful Body etc - and is all set for the biggest roller coaster ride, the Miss World contest. Pooja Chopra shares her thoughts, her journey’s secrets and a lot more with Spicezee.com’s Shashank Chouhan in an exclusive chat…

Shashank : How were you feeling when Miss World-runner up Parvati crowned you Miss India 2009? Pooja : I couldn’t hold myself steady! You should see the video to realize that I was in a different world suddenly. Emotions were running wild, my eyes were constantly fluttering, I was over the moon. I was literally falling over when Parvati held me. She was all balance and told me to take it as a new beginning. I want to relive those moments! Shashank : What were your thoughts when you got into Top Five? Pooja : After the Top Ten round, I knew I would get through to Top Five. More than Top Five, there was pressure on me to get into Top Three really and the higher you go, the tougher it becomes to progress and hold on to your senses. Shashank : We understand that you go through a lot of preparations to give intelligent answers in the last round - the Question round. How did you sail through that? Pooja : When the question was announced, my mind went blank, I didn’t know what to write. That ticking sound of the clock really irritated me and I was not able to concentrate. I had to tell myself, ‘This is Miss India Pooja, you can’t get distracted.’ I cut aoff from the music mentally and answered the question. My answer came from the heart, it was not a usual or expected answer so I was a bit sceptical but I remained true to myself. It paid off wonderfully! Shashank : Whom would you give credit to for this achievement? Pooja : Oh! There are so many people to whom I would like to give credit - my friends, teachers of Mt Carmel and mentors at Femina and Nusli Wadia’s college. But above all, if anyone is really responsible for this feat, it is my mother who raised us two girls - I and my sister- single handedly. She has been the driving force who encouraged me to go higher without thinking of the tough times we faced. So my winning answer was befittingly about her. She was a single mother, but played the dual role in being a father as well. I really admire her. Shashank : How was the reaction of your loved ones? Pooja : My mom, my emotional mom started crying. My friends haven’t changed towards me, apart from the fact that they are giving interviews about me, telling the world how I was really naughty and tomboyish in school, wanted to become Kiran Bedi, ate at dhabas, missed classes etc.! People have been calling like crazy…after I won, I got so many calls that my mobile gave up and I had to get a new one! Shashank : How has life changed after the title? Pooja : Life has changed drastically. An average girl who, slept for over eight hours, hung out with friends in the most casual dresses all the time is now giving interviews, participating in shoots, sleeping very little due to the hectic schedule and is getting all the attention! Yes life has changed. Shashank : This is not your first title. You have won a string of such competitions… Pooja : Yes, I have but I never thought of taking up modeling as a career. It began when there was this pageant being organized in my school. My mom encouraged me to take a chance. I did and won and liked it too! I did some ads in college for pocket money. Shashank : How do you keep in shape? Pooja : I am a normal girl. I am happy-go-lucky, eating what I want and whenever I feel like. I don’t work hard on my body as I am genetically blessed. So I have my ancestors to thank for my shape! I do a bit of cardio and weights, but never go overboard with my regimen. Shashank : We have heard you are a foodie… Pooja : Absolutely! I am a dessert person. I can have sweets day and night. Once it so happened that a huge number of chocolates was discovered from my room during the training and my mentors got really worked up at that. But I love home cooked food. My nani ma cooks great rajma, ma ki dal, butter-chicken. But I try and avoid a lot of spicy food. Shashank : It’s a tough path that budding beauty queens traverse… Pooja : That is true. During my training, I used to go to sleep at 2.30 am, but had to wake up for the daily drill at 6 am sharp. Moreover, since at the end of the day it was a competition, not all the girl were friendly. There was a point that I got emotionally bogged down, got intimidated by lack of friends and paltry food at fixed hours. At such a time, Marc Robinson was an angel who helped me overcome the mental trauma. Shashank : And who inspired you in your life? Pooja : Apart from my mother, I idolize Kiran Bedi. I love her for her iron-will, her style and spirit in taking on a man’s world. I got my hair cut as I was inspired by her style. I always said in school that I want to become like Kiran Bedi. Man, she was a man in the true sense! Shashank : But you are a beauty queen now! Is Bollywood calling next? Pooja : Oh! I don’t want to answer that. I am too occupied by the Miss India work right now. I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I don’t think Miss Indias HAVE to become Bollywood sirens, there is a lot else in world. Shashank : There is a bigger task ahead- Miss World competition. Pooja : I am going to put my heart and soul into it and do everything I can to win and bring laurels to my country. Obviously, expectations are very high and I will be under pressure. With my mom’s blessings, country’s support and hard work, I am sure there will be good tidings. Shashank : Are you single, Miss India? Pooja : Well…if I say yes it will open flood gates of more phone calls, and if say no it will not be the truth. So I will keep mum and concentrate on my work.