Biography
Born on April 18, 1962, in Kanpur, India, Poonam Dhillon, born on the cusp, is one of three children of Amrik Singh, a former aeronautics engineer, and Gurcharan Kaur. She has a brother and a sister, Dr. Rishma Pai, who practices medicine in Bombay. Poonam attended Carmel Convent High School in Chandigarh.
Poonam gained fame after winning the Miss India 1977 crown, which led to opportunities in modeling and magazine covers, as well as a role in the hit film 'Trishul.' The song "Gapuchi Gapuchi Gam Gam" from the movie remains popular today.
Her breakthrough came with the 1979 film 'Noorie,' which made her a star overnight. Her on-screen partnership with Rajesh Khanna was well-loved, resulting in four blockbuster hits: 'Dard,' 'Nishan,' 'Zamana,' and 'Awam,' along with the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful film 'Red Rose.'
Following her debut in 'Kaala Patthar,' she starred in several super-hit films including 'Dard,' 'Red Rose,' 'Biwi O Biwi,' 'Yeh To Kamaal Ho Gaya,' 'Teri Meharbaniya,' 'Karma,' 'Batwara,' 'Kasam,' and 'Sohni Mahiwal.' She also appeared in regional films in Bengali, Tamil, and Kannada. Her career as a leading lady spanned from 1978 onward, beginning with 'Trishul.'
In 1988, she married filmmaker Ashok Thakeria and had two children: a son, Anmol, and a daughter, Paloma. The couple divorced in 1997.
Poonam enjoys spending time with her children and her aunt, who resides in Chandigarh. Her parents have passed away. Both Anmol and Paloma strongly dislike her past Bollywood involvement, the spotlight it brings, and avoid being photographed. Poonam maintains friendships with actresses Padmini Kolhapure and Rati Agnihotri.
She hosts the Zee TV Africa show 'Chusth Dhrusth' and acts in the Zee TV serial 'Kitty Party.' In 2005, she received an award for her performance in the Hindi play 'The Perfect Husband.' She briefly entered politics in 2004 by joining the Congress party.
Additionally, she serves as Consulting Editor for Zeenext.com and is credited with pioneering the makeup van business in the industry.
