Pooja Umashankar, who has played roles as diverse as a blind beggar and a biryani shopworker in her career, doesn't mind looking ugly on screen for the sake of a character. But she says not many actresses are comfortable facing the camera without makeup. "Actresses don't like to look ugly on screen...they get very conscious without make-up," Pooja .

"I have always challenged myself with offbeat roles that didn't require me to look good, therefore, never had a problem looking ugly. Most actresses rely heavily on make-up because they feel audiences won't accept them without it," Pooja added. Pooja also enjoys doing glamorous roles. "I enjoy playing strong character roles, but I enjoy doing glamorous roles even more. In the beginning of my career, I got plenty of opportunities to doll up, but that time I was naive. I wish I get such opportunities now because now I can do it much better," she added.

She is making a comeback to the industry after four years with forthcoming Tamil thriller Vidiyum Munn, but she doesn't feel that her absence has impacted her career. "Cinema has a big heart and there's enough place for everybody in it. I'm not worried because I have found my feet in this industry and I'm happy about it," she said. "Since I'm back, I need to realise what kind of roles suit me now. I have tried my tricks and survived the first few years of my career with roles that didn't mean much. The offbeat roles gave me more satisfaction than any other roles," added Pooja, who was busy working in the Sri Lankan film industry while she was away from Tamil cinema. Soon after her role as a beggar, call it destiny, Pooja landed the role of a princess in a Sinhalese film titled Kusa Pabha.


Pooja Umashankar More Stills


Keywords: Glamorous Roles, Pooja Umashankar, biryani, shopworker, makeup,Tamil thriller ,Vidiyum Munn,Sri Lankan film industry ,Tamil cinema,Sinhalese film ,Tamil film news, Kusa Pabha