{"id":422287,"date":"2026-05-11T13:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/422287\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T13:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:05:11","slug":"salman-khan-heroes-got-intimidated-because-of-my-stature-pooja-batra-recalls-losing-roles-over-height-reveals-how-salman-khan-supported-her-hindi-movie-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/422287\/","title":{"rendered":"Salman Khan: ‘Heroes got intimidated because of my stature’: Pooja Batra recalls losing roles over height, reveals how Salman Khan supported her | Hindi Movie News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"'Heroes Actress Pooja Batra<\/a> recently opened up about the unexpected struggles she faced in Bollywood because of her height. Known for films like \u2018Virasat\u2019, \u2018Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi\u2019, \u2018Jodi No. 1\u2019, \u2018Nayak: The Real Hero\u2019, and \u2018Talaash: The Hunt Begins\u2019, the actor revealed that her tall stature often became a disadvantage in an industry where male stars preferred actresses shorter than them. In a recent interaction with Harper\u2019s Bazaar India, Pooja recalled how actor Sangeeta Bijlani had once warned her about the challenges she might face in Bollywood because of her height. \u201cIt was tough. I remember I was told by Sangeeta Bijlani, \u2018You don\u2019t have a chance in the movies because you\u2019re too tall,\u2019\u201d Pooja shared.The statement stayed with her because she deeply admired Bijlani. \u201cShe\u2019s my idol. She\u2019s beautiful, and she\u2019s a model too,\u201d the actor added. Sangeeta Bijlani made her Bollywood debut with \u2018Qatil\u2019 in 1988 and later appeared in several films before stepping away from the industry after \u2018Nirbhay\u2019 in 1996.<\/p>\n

Pooja Batra says she missed out on several films<\/p>\n

Pooja admitted that despite giving her best to every role she received, many opportunities slipped away because certain actors felt uncomfortable standing next to her on screen. \u201cI gave every role my best, even though the heroes got intimidated because of my stature. It\u2019s true I didn\u2019t book a lot of movies because of my height. I lost out on a lot of good roles,\u201d she revealed. The actor explained that height became an unspoken issue during casting decisions, something that often affected actresses in earlier years of Bollywood.<\/p>\n

The uncomfortable adjustments Pooja Batra had to make on set<\/p>\n

Pooja also recalled the compromises she had to make while filming scenes. During close-up shots, she would often perform \u201chalf-splits\u201d to make her co-stars appear taller on screen. Talking about her experience while shooting \u2018Virasat\u2019, the actor said she was even styled in colour-coordinated outfits to visually reduce her height.Interestingly, Pooja revealed that she frequently wore her own clothes in films because they suited her body frame better and reflected her personal style. \u201cDirectors would say, \u2018Let her wear what she\u2019s wearing,\u2019\u201d she shared. At the same time, filmmakers often preferred her without heavy makeup for a more natural appearance. Laughing about it now, she said, \u201cI was like, at least sunblock toh lagane do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salman Khan never had a problem with her height<\/p>\n

Among all her co-stars, Pooja said Salman Khan was the only actor who never felt insecure about her height. The two worked together in the romantic comedy \u2018Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye\u2019. Recalling Salman\u2019s attitude on set, she said, \u201cSalman never had a problem. He was one guy who\u2019d be like, \u2018Wear your heels, I don\u2019t have a problem\u2019. He\u2019d be confident in his own skin.\u201d The actor appreciated Salman for being comfortable and secure enough to never make height an issue during filming.<\/p>\n

Pooja Batra’s take on the changes in Bollywood<\/p>\n

Looking back today, Pooja Batra believes actresses like her and Sangeeta Bijlani helped make the industry more accepting of taller women. Referring to actors like Sushmita Sen and Deepika Padukone, she joked, \u201cThey should say, \u2018Thank you,\u2019\u201d before laughing.Pooja also spoke about how cinema has evolved technically over the years. According to her, modern cinematography and changing audience perceptions have made height less of a concern now. She further mentioned that even globally, several successful actresses like Naomi Watts and Charlize Theron have faced similar challenges. \u201cI know how hard it is for a woman to make it despite the height,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Actress Pooja Batra recently opened up about the unexpected struggles she faced in Bollywood because of her height.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":422288,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[216818,216821,156,76798,409,111,139,69,75104,216817,7831,216819,216820],"class_list":["post-422287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-bollywood-actress-struggles","tag-changes-in-bollywood","tag-entertainment","tag-female-representation-in-cinema","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-pooja-batra","tag-pooja-batra-height-challenges","tag-salman-khan","tag-salman-khan-support","tag-sangeeta-bijlani-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}