Pooja Mohanraj

Biography:

Pooja Mohanraj is a versatile film and theatre actor from Kerala, India.

She holds a degree in Economics Honours from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, and a Master’s in Theatre Arts from the School of Drama and Fine Arts, University of Calicut. Additionally, she earned a Professional Diploma in Intercultural Theatre (Acting) from the Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI), Singapore—a rigorous three-year, full-time acting program—where she trained in Eastern traditional forms and contemporary Western techniques.

Born in Pondicherry, India, to Usha Mohanraj and K Mohanraj, a mechanical engineer, Pooja spent her early years in Pondicherry and Muscat before moving to Kerala. She completed her schooling at Bhavan’s Adarsha Vidyalaya in Ernakulam. Her introduction to theatre began at age 10 when her mother enrolled her in children’s theatre classes conducted by Prof. Chandradasan’s theatre group, Lokadharmi. Since then, she has performed extensively at renowned Indian and international festivals.

Pooja has collaborated with notable directors like Aarne Neeme, Sankar Venkateswaran, Chandradasan, and Sasidharan Naduvil. Her prominent productions include Egle and Cleopatra (a solo play), When We Dead Awaken, and Balcony. These works have been showcased at prestigious events such as Bharat Rang Mahotsav, International Theatre Festival of Kerala, Ekaharya Theatre Festival, META Festival, Old World Theatre Festival, and Surya Festival. She directed her debut play for the Collegiate Theatre Festival for New Writing in Germany, organized by the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller, New Delhi. She was also awarded the Ministry of Culture’s Scholarship for Young Artists in Theatre. Her solo performance, Straitjacket, featured at the Singapore Writers’ Festival in 2018.

Beyond acting, Pooja has contributed to organizing multiple editions of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala in various roles. She facilitates theatre-in-education programs for schools and colleges in Kerala and has developed Attune, a training module designed for both actors and non-actors, tailored for virtual platforms to enhance performance skills.

Balancing her work in theatre as an actor, trainer, curator, performance maker, and arts manager, Pooja ventured into films in 2019 with the Malayalam movie One, further enriching her artistic journey.