Healthy lunch with Pooja Misrra at Boulevard

The celeb I was to meet was the fiery Pooja Misrra and the venue was fixed at the plush Boulevard, all-day-dining of The Orchid Ecotel Hotel in Vile Parle. This place is known to serve sumptuous buffets as well as a la carte in an open spaced, lively ambiance. Belying her reputation, the svelte lady turned up on time with a bright smile sporting international brands of backless, canary yellow jumpsuit shorts, aviators and high heels. This is going to make an interesting read with a lot of the talented and fiery Pooja's quotes. Affable and dashing Rajesh Kr. Gupta - GM of The Orchid Hotel along with innovative Executive Chef Navid Akhtar greeted us and made sure nutritious, wholesome yet tasty dishes were served. Fresh lime juice and starter of Chicken with mild spices and plateful of grilled veggies of broccoli, bell peppers, babycorn were brought on the table. Finding it hard to skip the tempting farsans of dhokla and patra, mini sandwiches, burgers and the irresistible chaat counter serving tangy paani and dahi puris, dahi bhallas and papdi chaats, I went full on for them. I met Pooja with this predetermined notion about her being psycho and temperamental but I found her to be a polite and well mannered girl... “Well very honestly I am a short tempered person,” admits Pooja adding, “and that small trait has been blown out of proportion by my rivals, haters and detractors. I have a great upbringing so my parents have taught me impeccable manners and etiquettes!” Having known Pooja as a bright, spunky girl, I found a lot of sorrow that she hides behind that smirk..... And she reveals she has been put through a lot of torture by insecure and envious people who had hidden agendas and to fulfill them they tried to harrow her and break her spirit! Tell us more about that? Well, my father was the chief commissioner of Income Tax and after he retired and moved to Pune I was continuously targeted, manipulated and stalked. In fact a very dirty game was played to sabotage my career and spoil my relations with the top media publications and prominent families of the film fraternity. I was mentally, physically and emotionally tortured and trapped wherein I kept a stoic and dignified silence all these years while I secretly bled, cried and was even attempted with murder. I am taking legal action against these people as they have to pay for damages and delays as well as the torturing and sabotage! …… They kept me trapped by hacking my phones and email accounts as well as by shadowing me where ever I went! They used hypnosis and mind techniques to sabotage my career!” Whoa…quote a revelation!!! Coming back to food, while global and Indian main course like Thai Curry, Singapore Noodles, Cannelloni, creamy Veg au Gratin, Dudhi Koottu, Methi Mutter and dals with delicious Biryani ogled at us enticingly from the various counters, we settled for some healthy meal. The dessert section was a veritable treasure trove for sweet lovers with designer desserts and mithais beautifully presented in individually crafted cups. The sports girl that she was at The Cathedral & John Connon School, she went on to become the swimming and diving champion! On future plans, she says, “We are shooting a lot of content for the digital platform to begin with, then there are some TV shows, a music video and eventually a Bollywood movie! Munching on flavoursome grilled Prawns presented by Chef Gautam, Pooja talks about her first clothing line 'Caliente' which were meticulously crafted cocktail dresses and gowns from her workshop in Singapore. Second one consisted of sarees and she is all set to launch her third clothing line with something different structuring tuxedos and suits for men. After Bigg Boss she claims to have got a lot of followers on Twitter and “These people were really jealous so they hacked my twitter account and were abusing all and sundry from it and made me loose all my followers. I also lodged a police complaint and RTI against this crime!” So to set the records straight with what id can we find your original account on social networking sites? “www.facebook.com/sparemesayspm www.twitter.com/sparemesayspm http://instagram.com/misrrapooja http://ww.itimes.com/pooja-misrra/interest-updates” “I would like to tell my fans, friends and well wishers to not go by hearsay and see me in my new avatar in my upcoming projects....” signs off the spitfire gal waving goodbye to me after a nutritious, healthy and visually appealing food bonanza served by the expert Chefs Gautam and Bala of Boulevard at The Orchid Hotel! Rapid Fire Qs with Pooja Foodie... Fave cuisine..... dessert…. Yes …. It has to be healthy….No sweet tooth. How about cooking? I feel cooking is therapeutic and a very satisfying experience. In fact I have some secret recipes that make for scrumptious meals which I would like to share with everyone soon. After a model/anchor/designer..... Producer and singer - Well my first track ‘spare me’ is dedicated to all those fans, friends and well-wishers who voted for me while in Bigg Boss. Shopoholic….. Yes and brand conscious (she wears international labels). Single or dating? Fiercely single!!! Fitness regime… I train everyday at the gym, do my Bikram yoga, I try to incorporate pranayam and keep my thoughts positive. Beauty secret… I refuse to put just anything into my mouth…what I eat has to be healthy and nutritious. Your strength… My fire and passion. Stressbuster I love dancing! I used to dance with Shaimak Davar in my college days and I think dancing is a great release! You are paranoid about… Those who are so greedy and stingy that they don’t spare a thought for others. Pet peeve… I hate selfish, opportunistic, power hungry freaks. Idea of fun… Time with family. You are emotional … When I see my family having to witness what I am going through. One thing that nobody knows about you… My will power and Never Say Die attitude!