Pooja Hegde clarifies on her objectification comments, says Tollywood is her life

Pooja Hegde has found herself in the midst of a controversy for making a statement against the South Indian film industry. In an interview with Film Companion, the Radhe Shyam actor said that the South India film industry is obsessed with navels. This statement kicked up quite the row on social media, and netizens began to question her gratitude towards the Telugu film industry.

Responding to these accusations, Pooja urged those who are angry to watch the full interview before jumping to conclusions and trolling her on social media. In a statement, Pooja clarified that some of her words from the interview were being misconstrued. "A few things I said in my recent interview are being misinterpreted. While the things I said can be twisted, but my love for Tollywood cannot be. The Telugu film industry has always been my life and it is known to my fans who admire my movies. There shouldn't be any misinterpretation whatsoever and I would like to reiterate that I am forever indebted to the Telugu film industry for whatever I am today," said Pooja.

In the interview, Pooja was cited the example of her latest blockbuster, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, and asked how she saw the objectification of women in Telugu cinema. Talking about how the protagonist played by Allu Arjun was shown to be obsessed with her legs in the film, Pooja said, "Allu Arjun's character is obsessed with my legs in the movie, but after highlighting to Trivikram how it could be interpreted, the director added a few scenes where she admonishes him for being so desperate about it. She also makes him understand the error of his ways, but not everyone could realise that. Objectification is never okay."

Pooja is currently simultaneously working on the Prabhas-starrer Radhe Shyam and Akhil Akkineni's Most Eligible Bachelor. Both films are slated for release next summer.