Poonam Dhillon wanted to do just one film and return to studies: ‘Then I got a message from Yash Ji…’

Poonam Dhillon made her acting debut in Yash Chopra’s Trishul in 1978 with a star-studded cast. The family drama starred Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee, Hema Malini, Sachin Pilgaonkar and Waheeda Rehman in a special appearance. The veteran actor, whose birthday falls on April 18, revealed that she never set out with any proper plans for a film career when she signed the film. She shared that she had no ego problems sharing the screen with so many big names.

Also read: Poonam Dhillon says compliments for her looks used to irritate her

When Poonam agreed for the film, she was still at school and was just thrilled to work alongside Amitabh Bachchan and the rest of the film’s stars. She was paired opposite Sachin and their song Gapoochi Gapoochi Gum Gum became a big hit as well. Afterwards, she was signed by Yash for a leading role in the drama Noorie with Farooq Shaikh, which also went on to become a hit, especially for its music. She was also nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance as the title character.

In an old interview with Lehren, the actor shared why she joined films. She said, “I never did [Trishul] thinking it was my first film or that I’ll make my career. I did it thinking I want to do one film. Like an adventure. I was not a professional. I was a schoolgirl who didn’t know about films, film’s length, role or importance. I didn’t have any ego problems or understanding like that. I had thought I’ll do one film and return to my studies. In fact, I did that. I finished my school and joined college. I had done a few months of college that I got urgent messages from Yash ji that there’s a beautiful role. I want you to do one more film.”

The actor’s other notable films include Sohni Mahiwal, Teri Kasam, Dard, Yeh Vaada Raha, and Jai Shiv Shankar. In 2009, she was part of the third season of Bigg Boss and ended up as the second runner-up. Poonam was last seen in the Netflix film Plan A Plan B with Riteish Deshmukh and Tamannaah Bhatia. She also made her digital debut with Disney+ Hotstar’s web series Dil Bekaraar with Raj Babbar in 2021.