LOL! Pooja Hegde's Bollywood's Best Debutante 2016 Award Is A Big Joke! We Are Scarred

Was the jury smitten by her looks and figure? Or were they not aware that awards are based on acting potential alone? Which scene did she impress them in Mohenjo Daro? Pooja Hegde's Award for the Best debutante 2016 at the Golden Rose Awards has sent shockwaves through not just me but the entire industry.

Look at the picture below where the jury is having a long meeting selecting the winners. What a farce!

Were the following even considered?

Saiyami Kher- Mirziya

Image Source: Manav Manglani

Shriya Pilgaonkar-Fan

Image Source: onlymarathientertainment

Sayyeshaa Saigal- Shivaay

Image Source:  APH Images

Erika Kaar- Shivaay

Image Source: APH Images

Shobhita Dhulipala

Image Source:  youthtime

And why not wait for these two? What sense does it make to have awards in the second week of November when one of the biggest films is slated to hit theatres only by end of December?

Fatima Sana Shaikh - Dangal

Image Source: lockerdome

Sanya Malhotra - Dangal

Image Source: fashionnstyle

Trade analyst and film-critic Vinod Mirani says, "Why give awards to non-actors? Who are these people from the UK who are deciding whom to honour in Bollywood and whom not to? I wouldn't be surprised if they have planned to call Pooja for a visit to the UK for an appearance in an event or a store launch, and will showcase her around as the 'Most Talented Personality of 2016' from India."

Social media and WhatsApp is flooded with forwards since morning making fun of Pooja, and I don't pity her even a wee bit. She was white as ash (pun intended for her 'acting abilities') in the Hrithik Roshan starrer, and who knows, an Alia Bhatt or an Anushka Sharma might have saved a lot of money in that famous disaster which went quickly down the drain.

Film critics had heavily condemned her histrionics when Mohenjo Daro hit theatres:

SpotboyE.com's film crtic Khalid Mohamed wrote: To put it politely, Pooja Hegde, doesn’t exactly make a sensational debut, wearing a permanent smile as if she were at a beauty pageant (Movie Review: Mohenjo Daro, old wine served in an ancient bottle, Aug 13).

Wrote Raja Sen: Pooja Hegde is an insipid heroine, one who wears the exact same caught-in-the-headlights expression when a) a horse bears down on her, b) when Hrithik moves in to kiss her, and c) when she’s being choked.

Wrote Taran Adarsh: Despite her past experience (South films), Pooja is average in the film

Did the Golden Rose jury see some of her Telugu and Tamil films before coming to the decision?

Manoj Desai of Gaiety-Galaxy-Maratha Mandir tells SpotboyE.com, "Who is Pooja Hegde? Which film did she act in? I don't know her at all." When told that who she was, Desai said, "Oh God! Nobody had anything complimentary to say about her when they came out from the Mohenjo Daro shows."

Is Pooja's award a sign of things to come in Filmfare, Screen, Zee, Stardust and IIFA this year? Hope not. I am sure that Ms Hegde is aware that she didn't deserve the award, but does she have the guts to admit it?

Hats off to Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn & Co who love to stay out from these farcical exercises. How well did Ajay describe award functions recently when he called them'TV shows to garner TRPs'.

We bet that Kareena Kapoor (Glamour Diva of The Year), Priyanka Chopra (International Face of the Year) Deepika Padukone (Iconic Look of the Year), Anushka Sharma (Woman of Essence) and Alia Bhatt (Most Lovable Character of the Year)  too were aghast at Pooja bagging the trophy- but again, will they stick their neck out and say it?


Thumbnail Image Source: Manav Manglani