Pooja Batra

Batra was born on 27 October 1975^[5][6] to Ravi Batra, a colonel in the Indian Army,^[7] and Neelam Batra, a Miss India (1971) contestant.^[8] She has two brothers.^[9] She is related to Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, a martyr decorated with India's highest military honour, the Param Vir Chakra.^[10]

Batra lived in Ludhiana with her extended family while she was young.^[11] While in school, she was an athlete and competed in the 200 and 400-meter dash.^[8] She graduated in Economics^[9] from Fergusson College, Pune^[12][8] and holds an MBA in marketing^[9] from Symbiosis, Pune.^[12] She participated at the Miss International beauty pageant in 1993.^[13]

At a young age, she started modelling as a part-time job. She was best known for her Liril soap commercial.^[14] She was the first Indian face to launch and be a spokesperson for Head & Shoulders in India. She has participated in over 250 modelling events and ad campaigns. She shot to fame when she was crowned Miss India International in 1993.^[15] She went on to become one of the top models in India. She walked the ramp for over 250 fashion shows in India and overseas.^[12] She is an ambassador for Parag Sarees.^[16]

Batra turned down many offers to complete her education before signing a contract with the Virasat Film Studio. The first film she signed was Virasat in 1997 followed by another film Bhai.^[17] She went on to work in over 20 films including Haseena Maan Jayegi, Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya and Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye. One of her films, Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story, a historical epic, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004.^[18] She is a life member of International Film And Television Club of the Asian Academy of Film & Television, Noida.

Batra has also appeared in South Indian films, including three Malayalam films^[19] and two Tamil films, including a cameo in the 1995 film Aasai.

In 2021, she appeared as Nandini Rajput in Squad.^[20]

Batra married orthopaedic surgeon Sonu S. Ahluwalia on 9 February 2003 in New Delhi and moved to Los Angeles, California.^[21][1] In January 2011, she filed for divorce in a US court, citing irreconcilable differences.^[22][23]

Batra revealed her relationship with actor Nawab Shah in June 2019.^[24][25] They got married on 4 July 2019 in Delhi according to Arya Samaj traditions.^[26][27]

Batra has volunteered time and money to charitable causes including AIDS (Mukti Foundation),^[28] homeless children, the Bombay Police Department and injured soldiers in the Kashmir war.^{[citation needed]}

She did pro bono work in the film My Little Devil (Bas Yari Rakho),^[29] subtitled in Hindi, English, and French, to raise funds for the poor children in India. The film was co-produced by NFDC-La Fete (Canada) and directed by Gopi Desai. It was screened at the 24th Annual Montreal World Film Festival, 2000; Chicago International Children's Film Festival, 2000; 10th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival of World Cinema, 2001; and the Indian Films Festival in Malaysia, 2005.^{[citation needed]}