Padmavyuha: In search of roots

Former Miss India International and Bollywood actor Pooja Batra is gearing up for the release of her short film 'Padmavyuha', which explores the history of Hindusim and drives the viewers to look at religion in a different light. We interacted with Pooja to know more about her experience of working in the film and the sensitive subject this movie touches upon.

"'Padmavyuha' is an exploration of faith and morality. Basically, it is about a second-generation Indian who looks out for his roots - which indeed is a very common phenomenon," says Pooja about the new movie.

Further elaborating on her role, she mentions, "I play the character of Anjali Mathur, a journalist who gets engrossed while researching the origins of Hinduism. And then one day, she disappears. No one knows if she is murdered, kidnapped or held captive."

On coming on board for this movie, the actor states, "My manager reached out to me from the USA and told me that I got an offer from director Raj Krishna for his movie. He had shot the movie before the US lockdown in such a way that I could be at the other side of the world and still be a part of this beautiful movie. It is one of a kind film as I was totally intrigued by my character's role."

Speaking on what makes the film so special to be watched, Batra says: "It is a beautiful piece of art which has been written creatively and shot fantastically. It has been selected for so many festivals. It is a perfect scenario of 'Da Vinci Code' meeting Hinduism. Raj has done a terrific job in its execution and the viewers will love the visual design."

"This film sheds light on the history of Hinduism and how the West corrupted it. Although this is a short film, I would love to see the full version of 'Padmavyuha' to know what was discovered and what ultimately happened to Anjali," comments Pooja on the importance of making such films.

The actor also lauds the director's style of work: "Raj is a super-intelligent director. He did his research to the top as worked really hard on the script. It was a pleasure to work with him because he makes his actors shine. I look forward to doing more projects with him."

On the work front, Pooja Batra will next be seen in projects like 'Draupadi Unleashed', 'Squad' and 'Hexengeddon'.